For Christmas, I got my sister and brother-in-law a year's sponsorship of a bunny hutch at the Mayhew Animal Centre in Kensal Green, London.
This weekend, we visited for one of their public tours, to take a look around and see what we sponsored.
The Mayhew started up in 1886. Their original mission statement was to care for "the lost and starving dogs and cats of London so that they should have sanctuary from the cold inhumanity they are being dealt outside."
Unfortunately, they are still much needed today.
I had known quite a bit about the centre prior to my visit, from keeping up to date with their work and viewing the webcams on their site, but I was very excited to see it for myself.
The centre is very impressive. The animals are very well cared for, each with their own space, the cats have lovely two-tiered cage type enclosures with toys and lots of soft bedding, the bunnies have lots of space, and each dog has it's own room, very cosy with bed and even a television to keep them company! They're kept safe and enclosed to minimise stress and give them their space, but they get walked 4 times a day on average.
The animals are all vet checked, brought up to perfect health, vaccinated, neutured, and microchipped, and matched to their perfect owner; their adoption process doesn't necessarily wait for someone to pick the dog they want from a line up- the dogs are matched to people through their temperament and character to make sure they get the best suited home for them.
The garden at the Mayhew gives shelter to up to 40 feral cats from the neighbourhood. If it seems that a cat which is brought in is too timid and wild to be kept as a pet, they are welcome to stay at the home where they are fed every day, and the garden is full of little hutches so they can keep warm.
All round, this rescue centre is very inspiring. It has a wonderful homey feel to it, the pets all look healthy and happy, and the people were very lovely.
Go adopt a lucky animal from them!
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