An animal sanctuary is appealing for responsible families to give homes to dogs which were abandoned before Christmas.

A total of 26 dogs were handed in at the Oxford Animal Sanctuary Society, Village Green, Stadhampton, near Thame.

Margaret Gray, chairman and founder of the sanctuary, said: "We find more animals are handed to us before Christmas and Easter because people want to get rid of them before they go on holiday.

"We have a policy of never refusing pets and would urge people to bring them to us rather than abandon or dump them."

The sanctuary is open for people wanting to adopt a rescued dog on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, between 2pm and 3pm.

For more information, call 01865 890239 or 01865 559537.