Homes have been found for a litter of puppies named after the famous literary works of Charles Dickens.

Eight Terriers, born at Dogs Trust’s Rehoming Centre in Canterbury, have already spent eight weeks in the care of the charity.

They have been named after famous storybook characters from the works of Dickens to coincide with the anniversary of the author's birthday tomorrow.

The first puppy, Chuzzlewit, was named after Martin Chuzzlewit, is considered to be one of the cutest dogs in Canterbury.

Two others were named after Oliver Twist characters, Oliver and Dodger, however, staff say Dodger isn’t like the naughty pickpocket Artful Dodger; he is very sweet, and wags his tail all the time.

Another of the puppies was named after Esther Summerson, a character in Bleak House.

Esther is the greediest of the litter as she just loves her food.

One of the puppies is named Nell, after the young female character Nell Trent from The Old Curiosity Shop.

Staff say she is a confident girl, just like her character.

Pip - named after orphan Pip from Great Expectations - is the biggest in the litter and has one blue and one brown eye.

Sydney is named after Sydney Carton, who is a central character in the novel A Tale of Two Cities.

Finally, the last puppy is named after Dickens’ eighth novel: David Copperfield; with Copper being the smallest of the litter.

Harriet Blaskett, rehoming centre manager, said: “We knew the puppies would be ready to go home around the time of Dickens birthday, which is why we chose his storybook character names for them.

“Not only is it an inventive way of coming up with new names for our cherished canine companions; but it is also great for reminding us of the litter they came from later in life, if their owners want to update us on their progress in the family home.

“It is such a great feeling when dogs, whether they are older or younger, go on to find loving permanent homes.

“We will definitely miss our Dickens puppies, especially our Canine Carer Kelly, who has spent a lot of time nurturing them over the last seven weeks.”

• To find out more about animals needing homes call 0300 303 0292 or visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/our-centres/canterbury