If you love collie-flowers, Brussels snouts and paw-tatoes, maybe you could give one of these seven adorable vegetable-themed pooches a new home?
Lovingly nicknamed the Veg Pups, the lurcher siblings, who are around two years old, have spent most of their life in RSPCA care across four different centres at the animal welfare charity. They have spent time with Felledge in Chester-le-Street, Great Ayton in Middlesbrough, the Lancashire East Branch in Accrington and Bryn-y-Maen in Colwyn Bay, North Wales.
Originally, 18 pups were rescued at just 12 weeks old and taken into care initially at Felledge in September 2023, where they got their plant-based monikers. Due to ongoing legal processes, the mutts have had an extended stay in RSPCA care – but they were put up for rehoming as soon as they were able to and some moved to different RSPCA centres across the UK.
Sadly though, seven of the siblings are still waiting for their happily ever after, having spent most of their young lives in kennels.
Rocket, Artichoke, Swede and Carrot are at Felledge, Rosemary is at Great Ayton, Broccoli is at Lancashire East and Sweet Pea is at Bryn-y-Maen – but all share the same goal – to find a loving forever home.
Luka Atkinson, Deputy Manager at Felledge Animal Centre, said:
“Sadly these lurchers have all been overlooked for a long time now – we really can’t figure out why, as they’re all such wonderful dogs.
“It could be because of their sighthound heritage people may think they have bags of energy and will need endless walks, but they can actually be very docile. Many lurchers actually love nothing more than curling up on a comfy sofa or bed.”
Brindle-coloured Rocket is a friendly, playful girl and loves to play with other dogs. Her sister Carrot is very sociable with other dogs too and very fond of people.
Artichoke, affectionately known as Arti, loves people and brings so much joy to everyone he meets, while sweet boy Swede is currently thriving in a foster home, where he gets on fantastically with his foster carer’s resident pooch.
Rosemary is looking for a new family who can teach her about the world – she can be a little unsure around new people, but once she knows you she’s a fun and active companion. Cheeky Broccoli is full of character and excited by anything fun – including toys, snacks and his favourite people, often greeting his carers with a wiggly play bow and lots of kisses.
And last but not least, ray of sunshine Sweet Pea is a friendly, affectionate and sometimes silly girl who loves zoomies and chasing toys.
Luka added:
“Despite their tough start, all these veg lurchers are incredibly sweet natured and we know they’d all thrive in the right home environments with a loving family who are suited to their needs.
“Given their long stay in kennels, they can understandably struggle with sights and sounds in new environments, so they’ll need adopters who are gentle, understanding and willing to work with them – but they are all gaining confidence every day have so much love to give, it’ll be worth it for any potential owners.
“With most of their siblings now in their forever home, we’d love the final seven to get their happy endings too.”
To express an interest in any of the pooches, please visit their individual Find a Pet pages on the RSPCA website or contact the centres directly.
To help the RSPCA rescue animals from the worst cruelty, provide life-saving treatment, as well as give them all the care and love they urgently need, the charity launched its Summer Cruelty Appeal which calls on the public to donate to the cause.
Summer should be a season of joy for animals. Long walks on golden evenings. Zoomies on the beach. Stretching out in the garden to soak up the sun. But there’s a side to summer you don’t see. For thousands of animals, it’s a season of pain, fear and suffering, when cruelty peaks. Support the RSPCA’s Summer Cruelty Appeal at: rspca.org.uk/endcruelty
