A NEW Behaviour and Training Centre has been opened by Birmingham Dogs Home at its rescue centre in Solihull.
The charity received a £240.000 grant from the Pets Foundation in November 2021 to help fund the new centre.
Pets Foundation is an animal rescue and pet adoption charity, launched by Pets at Home in 2006 as part of its mission to create a better world for pets and the people who love them.
The new centre is integral to the work Birmingham Dogs Home does with the animals in its care.
Dogs with behavioural issues find it difficult to cope in a busy, noisy kennel environment so the new 500sq metre wing will have eight purpose-built spacious kennels where dogs with a variety of issues can receive special care.
It has been designed so dogs can communicate but not see each other, avoiding over-stimulation and creating a quieter calmer environment to reduce stress.
Each dog has their own large outdoor area for one-on-one training, allowing for bespoke positive reinforcement care plans to be carried out by specially trained behaviourists.
Giles Webber, chief executive officer at Birmingham Dogs Home, said: “As an organisation we’re facing one of our most challenging periods, with our rescue centres at capacity, and demand for our services only continuing to increase.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the Pets at Home Foundation for working in partnership with us to create this new unit.
“It will provide a better quality of life for the dogs in our care who need the most support, allowing us to rehabilitate them more intensively, while at the same time providing a calmer environment for all the other dogs at our centres.
“Ultimately, this will increase the possibility of our most vulnerable dogs moving into a home environment and mean there are fewer behavioural issues for adopters to manage, increasing our success in finding permanent homes for as many dogs as possible.”
Fi Harrison, head of fundraising and communications, added: “We were delighted to be able to officially open our new Behaviour and Training Centre here at Birmingham Dogs Home last week, which has been made possible with the fantastic support of our partners at Pets Foundation.
“Their belief in our vision and their generous donation towards the building of our new centre will transform the work we are able to do and the lives of the most deserving dogs from our region for generations.
“We cannot thank them enough and it was an honour and a privilege for us to welcome Pets Foundation Trustees and other guests including supporters and adopters to our special celebration last week as we cut the ribbon and were able to show off our fantastic new centre.”
