A blood bank for pets needs more dogs to donate ahead of the festive season.

Pet Blood Bank UK is just like the human blood service, but for dogs. They collect blood donations from donor dogs across the UK which help to save the lives of other dogs in need.

Every donation a dog gives can help to save the lives of up to four poorly pups. The lifesaving blood can be accessed by all dogs across the UK should they ever need it.

Stock levels of blood for dogs can get low over the holiday season. There are a dip in donations during the month of December as many people go away for the holidays and are busier than normal.

Therefore people are being asked if their dogs can make a donation this Christmas. Pet Blood Bank's next donation session is at Westways Vets in Houghton-Le-Spring on Sunday (December 3).

Dogs, who are between the ages of 1 and 8, weigh over 25kg, are fit, healthy, confident, and enjoy meeting new people are being asked to register for blood stocks.

The donation itself only takes 5-10 minutes, but owners should expect their dogs to be with the team for around 35-40 minutes.

Dogs receive a full health check from the Pet Blood Bank vet before donating and get showered with treats, fuss, and attention throughout their appointment. They get a goody bag and toy to take home.

If you are interested in registering your dog, or would like to book an appointment for the donation session at Westways Vets in Houghton-Le-Spring on Sunday, please visit www.petbloodbankuk.org or call 01509 232222.

Join our WhatsApp communities

WhatsApp has made a change to its group chats

ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities.

We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all!

To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.

If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.

If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.

Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community

Join our Christmas and New Year in the North East community

Join our I'm A Celebrity community for all the latest updates from the jungle

Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community

Join our Northumberland community

Join our Great North Run community

Join our NUFC community

Join our SAFC community