Can This Shelter Give Our Furry Friends a Second Chance?

In a secluded corner, about North of Cheltenham, the local animal shelter has been standing since 1938, long before any houses were around the area. Still, the organisation's story dates back to the 1800s when two local ladies started taking in stray cats, and thus, the Cheltenham Animal Shelter was formed.

Rabbits bonding at the Animal Shelter

The shelter employs about 40 full-time equivalent staff, as well as part-timers and volunteers who work throughout the facility. In addition to caring for and rehoming a vulnerable range of animals, the shelter has an Education Community Programme and is the home of HALT (Humans and Animals Learning Together), an award-winning programme for young people that enables them to work with animals.

Upon my visit to the shelter, I was curious about the rehoming process for pets and how it worked, and also the challenges that animal shelters face today.

According to the RSPCA, between 2021 and 2022, the charity saw a six percent increase in the number of dogs taken into care and a four percent increase in the number of cats. In 2022, they found homes for over 27 thousand animals…which is 30 percent less than three years ago, when 39 thousand were rehomed.

Alison Jarvis, a loyal employee to the shelter in Cheltenham, spoke about their long waiting times, pet food banks and how hard they work to give our companions a new home.

“Last year was a phenomenal year, especially for cats. We had over 60 here in the year. A lot brought in with stray mums, a lot born here and many that we find in the wild.”

When asked about their kennels and how they rehome, Alison said: “Battersea Dogs and Cats Home did research which suggested that you must put more spaces between the animals and not fill up all your kennels because they will sit with you for longer. We feel that we can get through our waiting list quicker by getting animals out quicker, rather than them all just sitting here waiting for potential owners.”

This makes sense, considering their shelter is currently jam-packed and at full capacity.

“We are a rehoming centre; we are not a sanctuary. No dog will come here and live here for life.”

When a dog comes into the Animal Shelter, they first do a 9-day assessment with the behaviour team and the trained assessors who will observe them. The website biography for the pet is then made, which allows people to apply and get in touch. If it’s a good match, potential owners will come in for a minimum of three visits (for puppies this is faster) so that the best owner possible is found.

“I’ve had somebody who had to come in for 26 visits before the pet went home.” This may be the case if the pet has any behavioural issues.

“You know you’ve got a re-homer if they are committed to come in that many times!”

And as it turns out, the cost-of-living has affected the shelter too. Their utility bills have increased, as well as medical bills, and it’s really not cheap to run a shelter of this size.

“We need people to donate because our costs are increasing rapidly, and we must have people here 24/7. It’s true for all animal shelters. People have got less money and can’t spend it, but we are very grateful for those who donate.”

If you want to donate to the Cheltenham Animal Shelter, it can cost you as little as £3 a month. Or you can even adopt a pet. To see more, click the link here.