Dog adoption rates have fallen so low shelters are facing the prospect of having to euthanise animals, volunteers have warned.

Volunteers for Dogs Friends, a Somerset-based rescue, said they had never seen so few applications for fostering and adoptions, as well as "fussier" attitudes from prospective owners.

Laura Streeter, who volunteers at Dogs Friends, said she had seen fewer people willing to look after dogs that were not "social media ready".

Streeter explained that Dogs Friends would not euthanise a dog that was happy and healthy at the shelter, but said she did "appreciate for a lot of rescues it is a consideration now" and the situation was "quite nuanced".

"When you have 100 hand-in requests in your email inbox and you've got one dog that you know will never be rehomed - even if they're happy with kennel life and they're thriving there - you can understand that it's really difficult for rescues to make that choice," she added.

Another potential reason driving low adoption rates were prospective owners' expectations, she said.

Streeter explained people had become "a lot fussier" when it comes to choosing dogs to rehome, with potential adopters wanting popular breeds like dachshunds and poodle crosses that might seem "social media ready".

Outside of her work as a medic, Claire Batchelor fosters dogs and is about to take on her 105th puppy.

"It's just a very rewarding thing to do," she said.

"Every single one of mine is wonky in some way but they are very, very happy.

"When you build up their confidence you become their person and I think that bond is certainly stronger than [having] a pedigree perfect dog."

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