ABOUT OUR CHARITY

Ashbourne Animal Welfare, a registered charity, was established in 1988 and is dedicated to the rescue and re-homing of stray and unwanted cats and dogs. We provide TLC as well as whatever veterinary care is needed before re-homing and we always neuter, helping reduce the numbers of unwanted puppies and kittens. Since we started, our charity has helped around 5500 cats and dogs.

Our charity achieved a long-held dream in March 2001, when we opened The Ark, a  purpose-built rescue centre situated very close to Ashbourne. The Ark can accommodate approximately 40 dogs and 50 cats in comfortable pens, with isolation and recovery areas, a maternity unit for expectant and nursing cats during the very busy kitten season, a cat cuddling area (known as “Roger’s Room”)  as well as a quiet room (the “Dog House”) and exercise paddocks for dogs. We aim to give all our residents the very best of care and, as funds permit, we continue to extend and improve the facilities at The Ark. For more information about The Ark and its facilities, click here.

Many animals come to The Ark in very poor condition, requiring veterinary attention. This can prove expensive, so that veterinary costs are an enormous and ever-increasing financial burden. Added to the many other costs involved in running a caring charity, to continue our work means that we need to raise an average of more than £300 every single day! We are an independent charity and receive no government or lottery help, so we are entirely dependent on our own efforts and on the generosity of the public.

Most of our dogs are unclaimed strays that would be put to sleep if organizations like ours did not give them a second chance, while cats and kittens are often rescued from the most appalling situations, beneath hedges or worse. We also re-home pets from genuinely distressing domestic situations, such as where an elderly person is unable to take their beloved pet into residential care or is too ill to care for them any longer.

None of this work would be possible without the support of the public and the efforts of our fund-raising team. In particular, the Society could not function without the hard work and support of our volunteers, who give their time and labour freely. New volunteers are always welcome..the more help we have, the more we can do!

Ashbourne Animal Welfare is a member of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes and conforms to the standards of care and Code of Conduct of that organization.