Non euthanasia rescue

Our Work

Our Work

Gables Dogs & Cats Home (registered charity number 1127194) is a non euthanasia rescue and rehoming centre that has been helping the region’s unwanted and abandoned dogs and cats since 1907.

We take in and care for up to 1000 dogs and cats every year. We either rehome them or re-unite them with their owners if they are lost. On a daily basis we care for around 80 dogs and over 100 cats, which is a lot for our staff and volunteers to look after.

We never put a healthy animal to sleep and never give up hope of finding them a new loving home, no matter how long it takes or how much it costs!

We rehome animals all over Devon, Somerset, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

We totally rely on the generosity and support of the public through donations and legacies, as we don’t receive any Government or other funding.

Where our animals come from

The majority of our animals are unwanted pets, given up by their owners for numerous reasons.

We take in stray and lost cats that are found wandering the streets, some in a very poor condition and in desperate need of help, and unclaimed stray dogs from local councils.

We also take animals from the RSPCA that have sadly been neglected and abused by their owners or injured in road traffic accidents. It can take a long time to gain the trust of these animals to be able to rehabilitate them so they can start to enjoy life and look for a new home.

We believe that there is a special someone out there for every dog and cat, it is just a case of finding them. 

All of our animals are health checked by a Vet, neutered, microchipped, vaccinated and treated for fleas and worms before going to a new home. Dogs are also assessed by a qualified dog behaviourist to establish what sort of home they need.

 

 

Our community work

We help local councils by providing a temporary boarding service, taking care of pets for vulnerable people in difficult situations, until their owners are in a position to reclaim them. This helps to provide peace of mind for the owners allowing them to focus on whatever they are dealing with in their life at that time, knowing that their dogs are safe and cared for. Sometimes they are signed over to our care once it is established the owner is unable to provide for them anymore.

We also provide microchipping for any stray dog that has not already been microchipped; we regularly hold low cost microchipping events for members of our community to bring their pets to us. We get involved in multi-agency community outreach events with the RSPCA, local authority and local vets.

We carry out trap neuter and release (TNR) to effectively and humanely control feral cat colonies, and also rehome feral cats (once neutered) to a more appropriate location if they cannot be returned. This is very complicated and time consuming work but so important to protect vulnerable cats.

 

 

We have a good relationship with local vets who know that our greyhounds are always available 24 hours a day 7 days a week to help with emergency blood donations.

This past year they have been called upon as blood donors three times to help save the lives of seriously ill dogs. For example, in August 2020 Tesla donated blood to save the life of Hugo, a dog who had become critically ill after consuming rat poison. Hugo’s family were very grateful for his help so came to meet him and brought toys as a thank you. We’re pleased to report that Tesla has since found his forever home.

We enjoy providing school and care home visits, along with educational talks in community settings, such as libraries. We have previously taken some of our rescue dogs to a local care home, Selkirk House, as part of an uplifting activity session which the residents thoroughly enjoyed. Sadly due to the pandemic we have had to cease these visits but we’re looking forward to when we can resume them again.