Dogs Trust has officially unveiled plans for its brand-new Cardiff Rehoming Centre which is set to open in 2021 to help save 1,000 dogs a year.
Joining rescue dogs Coffee a six-month-old Shih Tzu and Hercules a five-year-old Terrier from the charity’s Bridgend rehoming centre was Welsh Rugby star, Shane Williams MBE, Dogs Trust Interim CEO Jim Monteith, Paul Davies AM and other Assembly Members, for a celebration of Dogs Trust’s work in Wales and to mark the start of building work on the new centre.
The event was hosted at The Senedd yesterday [Wednesday 13th March] where Assembly Members were also invited to come along to find out more about the state-of-the-art rehoming centre coming to the city in two years’ time. It will be located in the heart of Cardiff, on Nettleford Road in Splott and building work starts in the next few weeks.
Over 5,000 stray dogs were collected by local authorities in Wales last year alone. Dogs Trust Cardiff will care for around 1,000 stray and abandoned dogs each year, significantly helping the stray dog problem in the city and surrounding area. The charity’s 22nd rehoming centre has been devised with dog welfare at the forefront of its design.
The rehoming facilities will include:
• 78 glass kennels with underfloor heating – so dogs can choose warm or cool flooring depending on their needs
• Full Veterinary/surgical suite including hydrotherapy/physiotherapy rooms
• Exercise paddocks and runs
• Training Hall – to help teach old dogs new tricks
• Grooming suite
• A base for education and Dog School teams as well as neutering and microchipping campaigns.
Dogs Trust goes to huge lengths in order to help stray and abandoned dogs and rehabilitate those dogs in need of a little extra help, and the Cardiff Rehoming Centre will be no different. With dedicated Training and Behaviour Advisors, a full veterinary suite, and even a hydrotherapy/physiotherapy unit, dogs of all shapes and sizes will be offered all the help they need to find a new home.
The charity hopes the new Rehoming Centre will also create up to 50 new jobs ranging from Managers, Canine Carers, Training and Behaviour staff and maintenance staff.
As well as rehoming, Dogs Trust also invests heavily in programmes to promote responsible dog ownership in Wales through education and by neutering and microchipping dogs. In 2016/17, 11,520 dogs were neutered through subsidised neutering schemes in Wales and 20,200 dogs were microchipped. Health checks were given to 1,250 dogs at community events last year and we discussed responsible dog ownership to over 5,000 members of the public at events across the country. The charity also provides education resources to Welsh schools and last year alone delivered workshops to the 33,509 children about dog safety and responsible dog ownership. More recently, Dog School South
Wales was launched, providing high quality, welfare-friendly advice on dog training and behaviour through fun, educational classes.
Dogs Trust Interim Chief Executive, Jim Monteith, said: “Wales has always been a leading voice when it comes to improving animal welfare and we are absolutely delighted to finally start laying the first bricks at our 22nd Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre in Cardiff.
“This was the dream of our late Chief Executive and patriotic Welshman Adrian Burder, and we are proud to be continuing his dream by turning it into reality and the new rehoming centre will be named in Adrian’s honour.
“Over 5,000 stray dogs were collected by local authorities in Wales last year alone, so our new centre is very much needed and will complement the amazing work done by our current Dogs Trust Bridgend rehoming centre. We have been a leading voice in dog welfare in Wales since the 1950s and campaign on ending puppy smuggling, banning training devices that cause pain such as electric shock collars and seek to strengthen dog breeding legislation in the country to improve and protect the welfare of dogs.
“We hope to be able to rehome a thousand dogs a year at Dogs Trust Cardiff and we’re excited to be able to give dogs in the area a brighter future.
Shane Williams MBE added: “It’s wonderful to hear that Dogs Trust will be bringing a rehoming centre to Cardiff and it was a pleasure to join them at the event yesterday. I’m excited to see it all come to life over the next couple of years.”
Paul Davies AM said: “I was delighted to sponsor today’s launch and speak at the event. I enjoyed speaking with representatives from the Dogs Trust who are passionate about the work they do to nurture dogs and actively look for their forever homes. I was pleased to learn that work has started in the ground-breaking new dogs home in Cardiff, and I wish the project every success.”
For further information on Dogs Trust please call 0300 303 0292 or visit www.dogstrust.org.uk
