People & Planet
How We’re Supporting Dogs Trust This International Dog Day
26 August 2022
International Dog Day is all about celebrating our four-legged friends. Those who are important members of the family and those still waiting to find their forever homes. To celebrate the day that’s all about canines, this Friday 26th August we’re donating £5 from every sale made online and in our Covent Garden and Glasgow stores to Dogs Trust*. This money will help our charity partner care for dogs in need. We also took a trip to Dogs Trust Basildon to meet some of the adorable dogs waiting to be rehomed.
SUPPORTING DOGS TRUST
We’re now entering the sixth year of our charity partnership with Dogs Trust. So far, we’ve been able to support them with donations and even exclusively designed collections. With help from our generous Radley London fans, we’ve been able to raise over £159,000.
Louise, our Head of Marketing sums up our partnership perfectly.
“As a dog-loving brand with a Scottie as our mascot, partnering with Dogs Trust is a natural fit for Radley London. It has been a joy to work with the charity over the past six years, from launching specially designed collections and running fundraisers to even visiting their rehoming centres. The work Dogs Trust do is so essential and we’re proud to lend them our support. We know our colleagues and customers love getting involved too.”
In the lead up to International Dog Day, we went down to Dogs Trust rehoming centre in Basildon to meet some of the dogs and find out how the money will help.
MEET THE DOGS
We received a very warm welcome when we arrived at Dogs Trust Basildon. The adorable Curly Wurly, a fluffy Collie cross, was there to greet us. Here he is introducing himself to Natasha from our Marketing team.
With all the bouncing, happy dogs running around, we thought it was best to make a TikTok. Take a look at it below to see the friendly faces we met and head over to TikTok to follow, like and see more from our visit.
One of these was four-year-old Dora, a Dobermann cross. (We had a lot in common – you’ll see she shares our love of the Mount Street Heirloom bag.)
Dora came to Dogs Trust Basildon in June and is looking for a forever home with a garden and a family who can match her energy levels.
However, since the cost-of-living crisis began, Dogs Trust has found they are getting less interest in rehoming. The UK’s increasing costs mean people are not sure they can afford to welcome a new dog into their home. A recent poll found 61% of non-dog owners said rising costs would prevent them from adopting or buying a dog.
The increasing cost of living also means more owners are considering giving up their pets. In fact, the charity has already seen a record number of calls from people asking them to take in their dogs. In July alone, the Dogs Trust Contact Centre received 4,730 handover enquiries (a number that is growing month-on-month).
“The UK is fast heading towards a situation in which, due to the cost-of-living crisis, we’ll have a surplus of dogs whose owners need to give them up, but a deficit of people who can afford to take on a new dog.” - Owen Sharp, Dogs Trust CEO
HOW TO HELP
Today, on International Dog Day, we’re donating £5 from every sale online and in our flagship stores in Covent Garden and Glasgow to Dogs Trust. This is just one of the fundraising initiatives we run throughout the year to support our charity partners.
Here are just a few things that a £5 donation could cover:
A selection of training treats
A puppy toy
A warm blanket
We also have a JustGiving page where you can donate directly to help us support Dogs Trust.
And if you’re able to, you can contact your nearest Dogs Trust rehoming centre and meet the dogs currently looking for their forever homes.
For more about our ongoing partnership with Dogs Trust, head over to Radley Stories. You can read all about what we’ve achieved so far, meet some adorable characters and enjoy some happy rehoming tales here.
*Applies to sales made on our website and in our Covent Garden and Glasgow stores. Dogs Trust Registered Charity Numbers: 227523 and SC037843. Click here for full T&Cs.
