PUPPIES AND LOCAL VIPS TURN OUT IN STYLE TO SUPPORT DOGS TRUST LOUGHBOROUGH FIRST DIG!
11 May 2011
Rescue Pups Wills and Kate take part in official 'First Dig'
It was a sign of things to come in Wymeswold today as puppies Wills and Kate grabbed their hard hats and spades and became the first rescue dogs to visit Dogs Trust Loughborough and take part in the official “First Dig” to commemorate the start of building work on the £7 million project.
Wills and Kate were joined by local school children from Wymeswold Church of England Primary School, local VIPs and Dogs Trust Chairman, Philip Daubeny and CEO Clarissa Baldwin OBE.
Due to open in Spring 2012, Dogs Trust Loughborough will be a state of the art Rehoming Centre. To reduce running costs and its carbon ‘pawprint’ the charity aims to build the most environmentally sustainable and eco-friendly animal rescue centre in the world.
Featuring a biomass boiler, green roofs, under-floor heating, solar panels and a rainwater recycling system, the Rehoming Centre will be able to look after around 135 dogs at any one time and will include:
- 64 rehoming, intake and puppy kennels (all angled and glass-fronted)
- Under-floor heating for all kennels
- Dedicated Training and Rehabilitation Centres
- Sanctuary facility for up to 36 dogs that prefer canine company
- On-site accommodation for three Managers
- “Real life” behaviour suite to get the dogs used to household items
- Vet Suite
- Exercise paddocks and runs
- Training barn
- Grooming suite
The new Rehoming Centre will also create 25 new jobs ranging from Managers, Canine Carers, Training and Behaviour staff and maintenance staff. The Centre has already employed a full time Education Officer who is visiting schools across the East Midlands to teach children about safety around dogs and the importance of responsible dog ownership.
The sustainable design of the structure of the buildings and the use of renewable forms of energy will reduce the energy consumption of the Centre by at least 30% compared to other similar sized Rehoming Centres.
Dogs Trust Chief Executive, Clarissa Baldwin, said:
“We are delighted to be building our 19th Rehoming Centre in Leicestershire as this means we will be able to rescue thousands more dogs. Last year there were 21,000 stray dogs in the Midlands area alone – with over 700 of those being destroyed because their owners could not be traced or new homes found for them.
By building this new centre with sustainability in mind, we will also be reducing our carbon “Pawprint.”
Notes to Editors:
- Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity and has a network of eighteen rehoming centres across the UK and Ireland, which care for over 16,000 dogs every year.
For further information or images please contact Dogs Trust press office:
Sinead Scott-Lennon - sinead.scott-lennon@dogstrust.org.uk - 020 7833 7650 / 07834 375 327
Jennifer Blaber - jennifer.blaber@dogstrust.org.uk - 020 7833 7657 / 07768 616 280
Dogs Trust is working towards the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction.