Spotlight on Animal House Rescue

Tell ua about what you do?
We are a small Birmingham based rescue, which takes in unwanted, abused and abandoned animals. All the animals that come into our care are treated for fleas, ticks, mites and worms, they also have a full veterinary ‘m.o.t’, and are neutered, if over 6 months, and inoculated and chipped before going to their new homes.

We do not use kennels, instead we have foster homes, which enable us to see the animals behaviour in a home environment, then any problems can be dealt with and we can re-home them to the most appropriate place. All prospective adopters are home-checked and we do not re-home to all day workers.

We also run a feral cat-neutering program, where feral cats are trapped and the females are spayed and the males are castrated. The cats are then released back to where they came from, as hardly any feral cats become tame. Those that do are re-homed. This helps to cut down on the number of kittens born each year, which will in turn keep the colony going. All our work is done with the aid of donations, and street collections with all money collected going to pay for food and our massive veterinary bills.

What is your proudest achievement?
Our proudest achievement would be becoming a registered charity, enabling us to apply for funding and raise the profile of the rescue, ensuring we continue to help animals in need.

Tell me about any experiences you have had with SCVO?
As far as we are aware we haven’t had support from the SCVO.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt from working with people in Sandwell?
We have only had contact in working with Sandwell dog wardens and they are the most dedicated and helpful team we have ever had the pleasure to deal with. The residents we have dealt with in the rescue capacity have always been helpful and friendly.

What are your plans for the future? Any challenges you face?
To carry on the work we do helping animals and raise awareness of good animal ownership in the community. In addition to this, we are also looking to campaign for harsher sentences for animal abusers.

In terms of the challenges, these are the lack of funding available to rescues and the amount of funding available through both main, and local, government to supply even the basic of cover for things such as out of hours dog services where strays are involved. One last issue is the lack of interest from major bodies in trying to find a solution to animal abandonment, abuse and mistreatment, and a lack of understanding in local communities.

How can SCVO help to support your organisation in the future?
The SVCO could support us in the future by bringing our aims and the work we do to the people of Sandwell and advertise our fundraising somehow to help us continue to do more for all animals in the future.

For more information please call 0121 475 8729 or visit http://www.theanimalhouserescue.co.uk