Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, London

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home was founded in 1860 by Mrs Mary Tealby but it was situated in Holloway, North London and called Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs. It moved to Battersea in 1871, very close to the famous Battersea Power Station. It was only in 1883 that it started taking cats as well as dogs.

Today the aims of the Home remain the same: to rescue, re-unite, rehabilitate and re-home London's lost and unwanted dogs and cats.

Queen Victoria became Patron of the Home in 1885 and other members of the Royal Family have continued the tradition. Currently the present monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the Patron and Prince Michael of Kent is the President.

The Home has taken in over 3,000,000 canine waifs and strays during its history, and been rescuing and rehoming cats since 1883. The number rises each year.

Rescued Dogs at a Wildlife Rescue Member's Home Photographic Print
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Dogs and cats come in from a variety of places, but most are either strays, picked up by Battersea's fleet of animal ambulances from police stations and dog wardens on a daily basis, and those brought in by owners who are unable - or unwilling - to care for them anymore.

The dogs and cats are cared for by a team of kennel hands, and there is a full-service veterinary clinic with a team of full time vets and veterinary nurses to look after medical needs.

On arrival, every dog has a behavioural and temperament assessment, and the on site rehabilitation department provides extra help in overcoming behavioural problems before rehoming.

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, London
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As well as the main Home in Battersea with facilities for 600 dogs and 150 cats, Battersea has two country annexes. 'Battersea at Old Windsor' in Berkshire and 'Battersea at Brands Hatch' in Kent operate the same facilities as the London Home, on a smaller scale.

The home in Old Windsor offers care for up to 170 dogs and 80 cats at any one time and operates in exactly the same way as the London Home.

The home at Brands Hatch, Kent, was bought in 1996 to accommodate animals while the one in Old Windsor was being upgraded. When the work was complete, it was decided that a home in Kent was badly needed even though it would also need upgrading. Building started in 2006 and was finished in July 2007 allowing the home to accommodate 60 dogs and 35 cats.

Dog at Battersea
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There is no time limit on how long a dog or cat can stay at the Home, but it costs an average of £530 for each animal's stay, no matter how long or short it is.

The only reasons an animal is euthanized is on on heatlh or behavioural grounds, never because the Home is full or it is taking too long to find them a new home. Some animals stay there for years until they find the perfect home.

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is a registered charity that receives no government funding, and depends totally on the financial generosity of supporters.

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Battersea Dogs & Cats Home not only takes in strays and abandoned animals, it also helps owners to minimize chances losing their pets.

In August 2008 it launched a microchipping scheme for pet owners in London, in a move to reduce the thousands of lost dogs and cats the Home cares for every year.

It is the first time that microchipping services have been offered to all pet owners who have not rehomed dogs or cats from the Home. They can get their pet microchipped at Battersea for just £15 (about $30).

Scott Craddock, Director of Operations said: "This is a very positive step towards promoting responsible ownership and trying to reduce the number of lost dogs and cats in London."