Dogs Trust West London opens
Dogs Trust has opened its latest rehoming centre, in Harefield, London, with the help of What Not to Wear’s Trinny Woodall.
The centre has been designed to provide a far better experience for both dogs and visitors, than seen before. Set in 16 acres of farmland, seventy-five glass-fronted kennels, featuring underfloor heating, will be home to around 1,600 dogs each year. Specially positioned sniffer-holes enable the dogs to interact with potential owners, while the glass fronts help reduce noise and stress.
Facilities even include a real life behaviour suite, with one way glass viewing, helping with behavioural assessments and a grooming suite with tiered shower stations. A healthy lifestyle is assured, thanks to a dedicated vetinary facility and open exercise paddocks. One of the centre’s main innovations has to be its special puppy block, which allows mothers and pups to learn and exercise in safety.
Clarissa Baldwin, Dogs Trust Chief Executive, said:
“Such care and attention has been paid to every aspect of the centre, from the heated, glass fronted kennels, to fantastic visitor facilities, to the real life rooms and puppy play areas. By changing the way people view rescue centres and providing the best possible facilities for the dogs, visitors and staff alike, we can hopefully rehome more dogs.”
In keeping with its commitment to responsible dog ownership, Dogs Trust has worked to ensure that wildlife living in the area is protected. Special bat-friendly roof tiles accommodate the local pipistrelle bats and numerous owl and sparrow boxes make the new centre a great home for birds, as well as the resident dogs.
Although their path to Harefield may be filled with sad stories, the dogs that make it to the centre are the lucky ones. Last year, local authorities killed 8,000 stray dogs; equivalent to 150 dogs each week. Dogs Trust is working hard to ensure dogs are free of the threat of unnecessary destruction. Find out how you can support Dogs Trust on their How to Help page.
PS: We’re creating a “What to do when you find a stray dog” guide. If you’ve got any tips, advice or comments, let us know!
Photo: Gary Trotter.
May 8th, 2006 at 12:00 pm
[…] The Vanguard Building, well known to commuters stuck in traffic jams on the A40, is now home to the enormous black and white mutt. The trust’s intention is to raise awareness of its new Harefield Rehoming Centre and is accompanied by television advertising. […]
March 22nd, 2007 at 1:34 am
Re. BBC2 The Underdog Show shown on Tuesday 20th March.
“Ginger” your “collie cross” would pass for a
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
I wonder if he have the same temprement ??
Lovely dog with a very determined mind of its own
March 22nd, 2007 at 10:23 am
[…] The show pairs eight rescue dogs from The Dogs Trust’s West London rehoming centre with eight celebrities. Each week, the dogs and celebs undergo increasingly difficult obedience and agility tasks, with their performance rated both by a panel of expert judges and the viewers at home. Sadly, the pair with the lowest score is evicted from the show each week. […]