I’ll give it a shot, says Olympian Sophie McKinna, on role at Dogs Trust

A dog charity has welcomed a recovering Olympian shot putter to put their canines through their paces, while still working on her sporting career.

Sophie McKinna has become a canine carer at the Dogs Trust rehoming centre in Snetterton.

The athlete competed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and the 2019 World Championships in Doha, as well as winning silver at the 2013 European Junior Championships.

Ms Mckinna, who also works as a custody detention officer, is helping to exercise the site’s dogs through obstacle courses, scent work and retrieval games as they prepare to make the transition to loving, active homes.

She said: “I joined Dogs Trust in October after my elbow injury. My biggest passion outside of sport is animals, so it seemed like the perfect fit.

“It has been great to use my training knowledge to create fun activities that get the dogs moving, learning and ready for their forever homes.

“Fitting my training around work, especially as I continue to recover, can sometimes be difficult, but I love it, and doing what I can to support the dogs in our care is so rewarding.”