BLUE Cross’ rehoming and advice unit, in Willenhall Street, off Corporation Road, is a place close to my heart.

Having volunteered there since the beginning of the year, the centre has taught me so much about dogs (and pets, in general) – while giving me a chance to spend time with dogs at a time I can’t keep one at home.

The centre is different from any other dog shelter I know. After spending the night in boarding kennels, the dogs have access to the facility’s home rooms during the day, which are fitted with furniture and are individually matched to each dog.

In the centre, the dogs get one-on-one attention, and care from the team while meeting potential new owners.

They also run the Home Direct Scheme – giving people who need to give up their pet the opportunity to keep them until Blue Cross can find a new home for them, rather than them having to come into the unfamiliar surroundings of kennels.

A spokeswoman for Blue Cross said: “Since opening its doors on November 7, Blue Cross Newport has helped 107 cats, 161 dogs and 41 small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs.

“Stray Audrey was the first to be rehomed by the Newport team heading off to a new home just a fortnight after the centre opened its doors.

“The eight-year-old lurcher caught the eye of Karen Talbot, who drove more than 120 miles from her home in Southampton to meet her after seeing Newport’s Blue Cross Facebook appeal for coats to keep her warm.”

One year on, Audrey is happily settled into her new home by the sea.

Ms Talbot said: “Audrey is such a happy girl, her tail is always wagging. I just think it was meant to be that we took her on.

“She loves to get up on my lap so I have to look round her to see the TV but you just can’t resist those eyes.”

Ms Talbot described Audrey as the “perfect companion” for their three whippets – “she’s so adorable and full of life”, she added.

“She was definitely worth the trip - I wouldn’t change things for the world,” Ms Talbot continued.

Other pets to have followed Audrey into happy lives include Parsnip the kitten.

A spokeswoman for the centre said that, at the age of just six weeks, the kitten was found abandoned on the corner of Wharf Road in a cat carrier.

“But now she has found a new family who are head over heels in love with her and even has her own Instagram account,” the spokeswoman said.

Parsnip is now living with Olivia Matthews, 26, and Tim Harnett, 30, who live in Bristol.

Ms Matthews said she wanted to give the kitten, who was then called Nancy, the life she deserved after such a “frightening” start.

“We were told she might not be a lap cat and that she might be nervous but she’s so soft and soppy - she is very vocal and playful,” she added. “We’re so glad we can give her forever home.”

Chihuahua Keith is another success story. Described by staff as being “frightened by the entire world” when he came to Newport as a stray, he has gone off to new a home after growing in confidence.

Newport Blue Cross also work closely with other local rescues to take in homeless pound dogs. For instance, Lurcher Flynn was transferred to the centre from Hope Rescue. He was then rehomed to Jade-Marie Fleuriot and her partner Ash Williams.

Ms Fleuriot, who lives in south London, said: “He hasn’t even been with us a year yet but it feels like he has always been with us.

“He was around one-year-old when we rehomed him and five kilos underweight. His bones were sticking out and his coat was quite dry.”

Ms Fleuriot, 27, said that Flynn has blossomed into a “mischievous little dude” who keeps them entertained.

She said they love taking him out on adventures and meeting up with his doggy friends in their local park at weekends.

Hannah Wiltshire, rehoming manager at Newport Blue Cross, said it has been a “great” first year for the team.

Ms Wiltshire said: “As a charity we know pets change lives and we are enjoying changing their lives by matching them up with lovely new owners.

“We’ve had a great response to our unit from the local community.

“It’s also been great to have local people on board volunteering for us and working with other local organisations who have the same goals as us – to find pets a new loving home.”

Sian Rowe, from Chepstow, is one of the volunteers at the centre. The 30-year-old said she has been volunteering in the unit for two months.

“Being with the animals is quite therapeutic - I really like cuddling with them,” the mum-of-one added. “I have learnt so much about dogs as well.”

Ms Rowe, who volunteers at the unit every Tuesday, said that one of her favourite dogs has been Louie, a four-month-old pup who has been at the centre recently. The pup has now been reserved.

“I also liked Blue, a border collie cross who was very intelligent and engaged with you quite a lot,” she added. “It is like having a dog without having one.”

Georgie Riley, 29, is another volunteer at Newport Blue Cross. Ms Riley, from the Malpas area of Newport, does rehoming advice as well as some volunteering coordinator.

She also helps with the vet clinics.

“I have been volunteering here for a year,” she said. “I really like spending time with the animals.

“I also expand my skills and have met some really nice people.

“I enjoy learning about behaviour training as well.”

Ms Riley said that sometimes, when people ring, they are “in a crisis” - but that, after having a conversation with them, they are much calmer.

She said one of her favourite dogs in the centre was Cassie, a Staffordshire bull terrier.

Emily Bright, from Cardiff, is another volunteer at the centre.

The 24-year-old said she does “a bit of everything”, from spending time with the dogs to organising rehoming first meets.

“I enjoy it here because it is a fast-paced environment,” she said. “I like the fact it is varied.”

Pet owners on low incomes have also benefited from the charity’s partnership with Summerdale Vets in Cwmbran, which offers discounted treatment for pet owners who are on certain means-tested benefits.

To find out more and check if you’re eligible for discounted vet care at Blue Cross Cwmbran Pet Care Clinic, contact 0300 790 9903 or visit bluecross.org.uk/raiseyourpaw

If you’re looking to get advice on your pet or are looking to take on a new cat, dog or small animal you can visit our website bluecross.org.uk.