'The dogs were silent, they all came out quietly

As she walks through Manchester Dogs’ Home, Anna Stansfield pauses outside the place where the former kennels were.

On that night in September 2014, after the roar of the flames had died down and the billowing black smoke finally cleared, charred debris was all that remained behind the warped metal bars of the shelters that once promised safety.

For over a century, the site had been a sanctuary, a place where trust was rebuilt and brighter futures were given to abandoned dogs. But in a matter of hours, the place that had been a home became the site where 60 dogs faced their final, frightened moments, trapped and helpless against the blaze.

“No one has been brought to justice. 11 years have passed, and there is no real closure for us and for the dogs we lost.”

“What’s really heart-wrenc