A bright future at Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home

In association with Edinburgh Cat and Dog Home: Services are in increasing demand, and legacies are a principal source of funding

20th September 2021

Many people know the Home from the bright green hoarding at Seafield, or recognise us from the sound of dogs barking as they drive past Leith and along Edinburgh’s coast road. Maybe they’ve taken a long stroll down the Portobello prom and ended up at our colourful dog and cat mural, or spotted wagging tails and wet noses through the fence of our paddock runs.

The Home has been on this site since the 1950s, but few will know the true extent of the work that goes on both inside and outside the gates to help animals from across the East of Scotland.

A picture of a Kitten poking its head out of a circle A typical day might involve reuniting an owner with their lost pet, providing veterinary treatment to animals who have suffered neglect, or meeting with an MSP to discuss animal welfare legislation to help protect Scotland’s dogs and cats and promote responsible ownership. Every day we provide the unconditional love and attention that stray and unwanted pets need, to go on to new, loving, forever homes.

Empowering our community

More recently, the Home has set its sights on a new mission – to support our local community and particularly those pet owners that may be struggling to make ends meet. Above all else we hope to keep animals where they are loved, and this means helping people to feed their pets.

Paws Pantry was launched in 2019, our dedicated pet foodbank that supplies food, leads, collars, jackets and bedding, free of charge. We have recently started bringing the foodbank out to schools and partner foodbanks to bring the stock to where it is needed most. We’re proud that now many dogs and cats that may otherwise have had to be surrendered, are still in loving homes and enriching the lives of their owners at their most difficult of times.

One in three animals

We hope to continue this work for many years to come. Unfortunately, we know that there will always be a need for services like Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, a place where those animals that may have never experienced a loving home, coming from the darkest of circumstances, can be given a second chance. Providing this safety net for Scotland’s unwanted animals comes at a price, and one that we are overwhelmingly grateful to our local community to help us pay. The Home costs nearly £2 million a year to run, and in the absence of any regular government funding, we are left nearly completely dependent on donations and fundraising initiatives to keep going.

One of the most powerful ways that our community has supported us is by leaving gifts to us in their wills. An astounding one in three animals that reside with us each year have had their care funded by legacies. We simply couldn’t keep going without this lifeline, and there really are no words to describe what it means to us when we discover that someone has made that decision to include us in their will.

We are now looking at ways that we can give more to those who are planning for end of life, and we are making plans for a more structured guardian programme to give owners the peace of mind that their pets will be in safe hands when they pass away. In doing so we hope to honour the memories of those that have gone and ensure that their most beloved asset, their pet, goes on to find another home where they can continue to be loved.