A dog stylist from Burton on Trent has miraculously taught her pet pug a whopping 26 brand new tricks in only four days, as part of the 2.6 challenge, to raise money for an animal charity supporting rescue centres amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Melissa Ward (27), a stylist in the groom room at Pets at Home in Burton on Trent, wanted to do something which involved her pet pug Gilbert to raise money for Pets At Home’s charity arm, Support Adoption For Pets.
Gilbert, a rescue dog from China, has always been receptive to learning new tricks in return for treats, so Melissa set the duo a task of mastering 26 new tricks in just four days.
The tricks included ‘giving a paw’, high five, rolling over, jumping through hoops, leaving treats on his paw to understanding Chinese and kissing.
Melissa said: “I love teaching Gilbert new tricks – he’s quite smart, but only when you have food, so this helped!
“He is good at sitting, lying down and giving a paw, but the other stuff that I’ve had to do took quite a long time to master. Some were harder than others, so jumping through hoops, but he’s never really done anything like this before, so I’m really pleased.”
Melissa’s fundraising target was £50 and so far, she has raised £119 to support animal rescues facing closure across the UK.
Support Adoption For Pets is the UK’s largest grant giving animal welfare charity, raising funds to distribute to UK rescues. The charity has been inundated with pleas from rescue workers desperately trying to keep their doors open, and is calling on the public to help in its donations drive.
To donate to Melissa’s page, please visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MelissaWard2
To donate what you can online, go to https://www.supportadoptionforpets.co.uk/support-us/donate/. Every penny will reach a UK animal rescue centre in need.
