No sooner had the doors opened at the rehoming centre to welcome in the New year than 16-year-old Terrier Crossbreed, Colin, was wagging his tail in welcome as his new owner, Gillian Andrade, arrived to take him home.
A West Lothian woman was the first person in 2026 to adopt a new pet from Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre in Glasgow
No sooner had the doors opened at the rehoming centre to welcome in the New year than 16-year-old Terrier Crossbreed, Colin, was wagging his tail in welcome as his new owner, Gillian Andrade, arrived to take him home.
Cute as a button, Colin came into Dogs Trust care in December 2025 after being rescued through the charity’s Chance of a Lifetime scheme (COAL).
The scheme rescues dogs from council pounds in Northern Ireland, transferring them within the UK to one of the Dogs Trust’s rehoming centres.
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Colin spent just 26 days at Dogs Trust Glasgow before happily trotting off to his new life with Gillian in West Lothian.
Gillian said: “I have a two-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, called Poppy, and I was looking for another dog. When I saw Colin on the Dogs Trust website, my heart melted. I know older dogs are often overlooked, and I don’t like to think of older dogs in kennels during winter.
“I think both of my dogs will help each other in different ways. Colin is going to be so spoiled now.”
Claire Cairney, Rehoming Manager at Dogs Trust Glasgow, said: “Seeing Colin head home with Gillian is the best start possible to the New Year. We are not surprised he melted Gillian’s heart, as he had the same effect on us at the centre.
“Colin is a very well-behaved lad who is spritely for his age, which just goes to show that a dog’s age doesn’t define their nature and character.
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“We couldn’t be happier that he was rescued from kennels in Northern Ireland and, within a month, has found a loving new home in Scotland. What an adventure he has been on with the happiest of endings.”
Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity and cares for over 11,000 dogs every year across its network of 21 rehoming centres in the UK, including in West Calder, and one in Dublin.
The charity also focuses its efforts on understanding dogs and sharing that knowledge with the wider public to prevent problem behaviours that can result in relinquishment or abandonment.
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