Dog lover collects toys to bring comfort to pets in animal shelters

Lauren Hagan, who lives in Woolston, was inspired to begin fundraising and collecting toys for dogs in shelters after her beloved Staffordshire bull terrier, Smokey, died in July 2022.

The 33-year-old built an incredibly close bond with Smokey, who was rescued from a shelter in 2009.

“Smokey was special because he liked everyone to be in their box, he wanted all his boxes ticked and routine was extremely important to him,” she said.

“He'd been used as a bait dog, and this was confirmed to us by the vet because he had quite a few scars and all his fur on his left shoulder had been burnt.

“But apart from the hangover of him being really scared of other dogs, it didn’t seem to diminish his love of other people.”

Smokey inspired Lauren to start collecting toys for dogs in shelters (Image: Supplied)

Despite his past, Smokey was a loving companion that showed remarkable awareness of those around him, including helping Lauren’s mum who struggles with hearing problems.

When he died unexpectedly, Lauren decided to help other dogs like Smokey, who were in shelters and needed a second chance at happiness – and the Smokey Project was born.

“His past and the kind of dog he turned into, that was what was inspiring me to help rescue centres and other dogs,” she said.

“There are some dogs that have been through a really awful time, but they still put their trust in people and these dogs can sometimes get overlooked.”

Lauren began collecting toy donations and fundraising for Dogs Trust Merseyside and was even inspired to start volunteering after a visit.

Although she swore never to bring another dog home, believing Smokey was the only companion for her, seven months later she returned home with Leo, a greyhound.

“Like Smokey he had a few issues when we brought him home,” she said.

“Leo has got hangovers from having been a racing dog. He’s not very well socialised because the racing industry don’t see fit to socialise them beyond other greyhounds.

“We’re having to teach him that other dogs are like greyhounds, just different shapes and sizes. He’s slowly coming out of his shell, but he’s an absolute goofball.”

This year, Lauren decided to collect toys for dogs being cared for at the RSPCA in Warrington after learning about the financial difficulty the centre has been in.

Lauren fell in love while volunteering at the Dogs Trust (Image: Supplied)

“It’s important that they have things like toys, sometimes dogs when they’re in kennels if they’re not used to being in a kennel, it can be quite a stressful situation,” said Lauren.

“So, to have home comforts, toys, blankets and tasty food it might go towards helping those dogs have a peasant stay.

“There are thousands of dogs and cats that are looking for a good home. Christmas and New Year there’s a very high influx of unwanted pets, whether that’s pets as presents and the novelty has worn off, or breakdowns in relationships and the pets are collateral damage.

“It’s really trying to bolster the stocks of food and toys and things that these shelters have so they’re better equipped when there is an influx.

If you would like to help the Smokey Project, you can buy toys from the Amazon Wishlist Lauren has created.

The Smokey Project will be taking all donations to the RSPCA in Warrington on December 21.