A DOG rehoming centre celebrated its tenth anniversary with adopted dogs old and young coming back to join the celebrations.

The Dogs Trust Darlington rehoming centre, in Sadberge, saw more than 60 dog owners and their faithful pets pass through the gates to mark the special occasion on Wednesday.

In the past decade, the centre has helped rehome about 9,000 dogs and managed to lower destruction rates by 25 per cent due to its micro-chipping and neutering campaign.

Sarah Shreeve, from the trust, said the day was filled with activities, presentations and displays.

The Dogs Trust's chief executive Clarissa Baldwin and chairman Philip Daubenay also attended the anniversary celebrations.

There were boards on show for each of the past ten years, featuring a collection of dogs that have been rehomed in the region.

They included Topper, who came into the centre as a very nervous dog and painfully thin.

She was adopted by a Middlesbrough man in 1997 and with the right care and attention she went on to work with Pets As Therapy, visiting people in hospital and care homes.

There was also a memorial bone on display, which allowed visitors to stick on the name of any dogs they had adopted from the centre, which had since died.

Centre staff thanked all those who helped collect the hundreds of cans of dog food handed in for the Tinned Towers appeal.

Ms Shreeve said: "Its nice that we are able to give something back to the dogs that are still here and looking to be rehomed."