AS a nation of dog lovers it is almost guaranteed you will bump into someone walking their dog, talking about their dog or even showing people pictures of their dog every time you step outside.

So hearing that up to 20 dogs end up at the Basildon Dogs Trust rescue centre every single week is quite shocking.

With up to 100 dogs on site at anytime the centre, in Nevendon Road, has a dedicated staff and volunteer base, with everyone working hard to care for, train and rehome every dog which comes into the centre.

Because the Dogs Trust is special; they never put a healthy dog down and the Basildon centre alone has rehomed 1,400 dogs since it opened two years ago.

Centre manager Lisa Cooper, said: "Our primary goal is to get dogs into new homes.

"We never put a healthy dog down; we have got the time and space and enough support to help them.

"Even when we may not be able to rehome a dog we have a sponsorship programme but will still never stop trying to get them into a home.

"We never give up."

Although some of the dogs have been simply handed in by owners who either cannot cope with them or no longer want them, some of the dogs have come from unknown and possibly neglectful or abusive backgrounds, meaning finding them a new home can be a long and difficult process.

Lisa, who lives in Bicknacre, said: "Sometimes a family breaks down, sometimes people move or get a new job or have a baby.

"Maybe they haven't done their research on the type of dog or for whatever reason it hasn't worked out.

The average stay for a dog is a few weeks but we do get longer residents.

"With all the dogs we make sure they are healthy and do what we can to enrich their lives while they are with us.

"We get a lot of dogs from Europe and they are put into quarantine and then when they are ok they come to us for rehoming.

"These poor little guys have often come from puppy farms and have a really poor start in life so we need to give them lots of enrichment.

"When I started here I had no idea how forgiving dogs can be; no matter what they have been through they will just keep trying and trying.

"Our behaviourists are amazing and spend lots of time working with the dogs and put really positive training in place."

But she adds that it is all worth the hard work when the dogs who have had a difficult start have a breakthrough.

"One example is Lucy, a little terrier cross," she said. "She's a very pretty girl but she's absolutely petrified of people.

"She came to us as a stray and has been her for a couple of months now in our quiet kennels.

"But she is finally starting to learn that people aren't all scary; she is just starting to eat food out of our behaviourists hands."

Happily, there are plenty of success stories at the Basildon branch and potential owners are encouraged to come and talk to the staff to find out more about caring for a dog or to discuss adoption or sponsorship.

One such lucky dog is Cassie, a four-year-old American bulldog cross.

Lisa said: "Cassie had been with us for two years as she had several behavioural and medical problems so it took a while to find her a home.

"She had skin allergies which can be quite difficult to manage.

"Happily she went to a new home a few days ago."

It's a happy end for Cassie and hopefully, in time, for Lucy too but with more dogs coming through the doors every day all hands are on deck to help.

Lisa said: "It's always very busy down here, but we are really well supported locally.

"Our volunteers are amazing, we couldn't do what we do without them.

"This is just such a lovely place to work the staff are so positive and we are a family, the dogs are our dogs while they are here.

"But there is nothing more lovely than seeing a dog going to its new home for the first time.

"It's the most rewarding thing."

Visit dogstrust.org.uk