Battersea Dogs & Cats Home at bursting point

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has issued a warning that it is at bursting point due to an unprecedented increase in the number of stray dogs into the Home this year. The world-famous rescue organisation believes that the more than 1,000 increase in stray dogs is partly due to people not knowing where to find lost dogs because of new legislation and partly as a result of the credit crunch.
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Jan Barlow, Chief Executive of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, says:

‘We are urgently appealing to anyone who may have lost their dog recently to make contact with their local authority animal warden and Battersea’s Lost Dogs & Cats Line to see if Battersea may have their dog, so we can reunite as many lost dogs with their owners as possible before Christmas.’

Battersea is finding that fewer dogs are being reunited with their owners outside the Home since the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act came fully into force in April, and so is striving to raise awareness that stray dogs are now the responsibility of local authorities.

The Home has taken in 6,430 stray dogs so far this year, compared with 5,335 at the same stage in 2007. Strays currently account for 82% of dogs at the Home

Jan Barlow says:

‘We are just over a week away from Christmas and are almost full. While we think part of the rise in numbers of strays is because people can’t afford to keep their dogs any more so are dumping them on the streets, we’re also extremely worried that people losing their dogs don’t where to turn to try and find them.

Many people are not being reunited with their lost dogs because they don’t realise that, since the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act came into force fully in April, stray dogs are dealt with by local authorities and in London the majority of these strays are brought direct to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. The last thing we want is for families across the capital to have their Christmas ruined by being apart from their beloved pet, so If you’ve lost your dog, you could be reunited with it in time for Christmas by contacting your Local Authority.’

‘We’d recommend dog owners find out the details of their Local Authority and of Battersea’s Lost Dogs & Cats Line. They should also get their dog microchipped and ensure it is fitted with a collar and identification tag. All of this information is available on Battersea’s website www.battersea.org.uk’

Jan Barlow adds:

‘With the increase in numbers we are now looking for even more new homes for the dogs in our care, so we would ask anyone who is considering getting a dog to visit Battersea, or other rescue centres.’

PAWS and WHISKERS

he women at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women work hard all year to care and train the hundreds of animals that are taken out to the Whiskers and Paws programs. As a reward, we are wanting to provide a hygiene kit for each of the women. There are 8 women in each program so our goal is to construct 16 kits. Please see the list of approved items provided by the ICIW *Please email Joy Talmon at jtalmon@arl-iowa.org for the approved list prior to bringing in any of the following items and please drop items off directly at our Main location to Joy Talmon or Scott Wilson. The items for the women can include:

Deodorant, Toothpaste, Body Wash, Shower Sponges, Shampoo, Conditioner

There are also various supplies that help keep the facilities and animals at the prison clean, odor free, and comfortable. These supplies are important to provide to keep a positive relationship with the prison and also the health of the animals as high as possible. Some of the supplies requested are:

Whiskers: Spot & Stain Remover, Air Freshners (ex: Febreeze, Renuzit), Turbo Scratcher Cardboard (keeps the kittens scratching on toys they are supposed to and not the furniture), Microwave (heating up canned food for unweaned/newly weaned kittens), Clorox Wipes, Dry and Wet Kitten Food, Litter

Paws: Box Fans (longer haired puppies get warm in the summer), Baby Wipes, Renuzit Air Freshener, Puppy Pool (fun play time for the supplies outside during the summer months), Pooper Scooper and Bucket, Clear TV Converter Box, Fabric Paint, Fabric Markers, Garden Hose, Plain Gray T-shirts (sizes XL, XXL, XXXL), Paper Towels, Wet and Dry Puppy Food, Zip Lock Baggies

If you have any questions about our program, or want a copy of the approved list, please contact Joy Talmon at jtalmon@arl-iowa.org or 515-473-9110.

A nice Black Rabbits

We occasionally have rabbits for rehome at our Benton Shelter.

We currently have three female rabbits looking for new homes, if you are interested in rehoming one of these lovely three please contact Benton North Farm on 0191 215 0435.

Please remember Rabbits like all animals do take up a lot of time so please dont rush in to buying any pet.