How long have you been at Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter?
I have been at Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter since September 2016. I was rescued from a garden in Lemington where the homeowner found me when they returned from nightshift. How I got there still remains a mystery! I’m a permanent resident here at the shelter, ensuring that people who visit are delighted all the time and that there is plenty of mischief.
What’s the best thing about Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter?
The people! We have some great humans here who all really care about animals. We were really sad to miss out on all our visitors during lockdown and it’s taken some time for us to readjust to seeing people again, so we are really excited to reopen the charity in April.
What is the culture like?
We are all very happy here. Some of us are permanent residents but lots of us are just looking for our forever homes. We get fresh bedding and carpet off-cuts from people and lots of companies sponsor our homes to keep us warm throughout the year. There is an animal behaviourist too to work on our wellbeing and make sure we are ready to be rehomed.
What’s your biggest challenge?
The future is bright but it’s always a challenge! We need to raise over £1m per year to make sure all my colleagues are fed, watered, rehabilitated and kept warm, so it’s no mean feat. The recent spate of storms did some serious damage to our buildings, which already needed some repair- so we are always on the lookout for ways to increase donations. Luckily our humans have come up with some great initiatives to keep the funds coming in.
What new projects are you working on?
We are working with food banks in the area to give them our surplus animal feed. So many homes in the North East are close to having to give their pets up because they simply can’t afford to feed them. By giving food banks the pet food they need, we reduce the likelihood of pets being sent to us. As with all things, prevention is better than cure!
We are also about to launch a lottery which is our biggest project for this year. People can sign up for £2 per week, which is less than the cost of a cup of coffee. They are entered into a draw to win £10,000 every week, which is not to be sniffed at (pun intended)! We can’t wait to re-open to the public and to launch Bee Fest! We are now home to the Newcastle Bee Keepers Association, so we are going to run an event at our centre in Benton to teach people about the importance of bees to biodiversity, as well as having a fun time at the centre!
How can people get involved?
We have a corporate Shelter Heroes programme that companies can get involved in as a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum member. We also still have seats left at our Paws and Prosecco black tie event in November which includes a doggy fashion show. We are in the process of adapting our former café into a area available for team-building, with furry friend- cuddling break-out sessions included (great for wellbeing and mental health) and finally, of course people can get involved by following us, sharing our content on social media and some good old-fashioned volunteering and donations, no matter how big or small! Finally- what’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
Your forever home is out there, you just need the right team to find them for you
