A STRUGGLING dogs' home is appealing for public help after being slammed by author Jilly Cooper for putting down thousands of unwanted pets.

Manchester Dogs' Home, which opened a new centre on Knutsford Road, Grappenhall in June, put down half the dogs it took in last year.

Claiming the figure was three times higher than the average at London's famous Battersea Dogs' Home, the campaigning novelist described it as a "terrible tragedy."

But the home, which has the largest intake of strays in the UK, says it was forced to destroy 5,000 animals because they had become ill due to the kennels' cramped conditions. The population is twice what it should be for the size of the kennels.

Manager Brian Maltby said the new eight-acre Grappenhall site could relieve the crisis, but it cannot be completed without urgent funding. Lottery bids have failed and despite an appeal launched earlier this year, cash has not been coming in.

Said Mr Maltby: "When we're overpopulated, nature takes over and it brings in infection. You need a lot of space, a lot of air, and a limited number of animals to keep a healthy kennels. We're the biggest dogs' home in the country, but people don't know we're here - all the attention goes on Battersea and the RSPCA."

If the £500,000 centre can be completed, it will provide a hi-tech complex with veterinary facilities and a grooming area.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the appeal should call the home on 0161 205 2205.

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