Taily Mail - Summer 2020

News from Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home

Taily mail

SUMMER 2020

In this Issue

We are open for rehoming!

SEE PAGE 10

In the Spotlight With our frontli ne workers

Remembering Your Pet SEE PAGE 12-15

EDITOR’S NOTES

Welcome

Woah, what a rollercoaster these past few months have been for us all. Writing from my snuggly bed while social distancing (but not from treats!). I am happy to be sharing all our exciting pupdates from the Home. So, get comfy and enjoy reading! Before we get started, I would like to send out a special message to all our supporters, as although times are hard at the moment, we have been amazed by the incredible support we have received and we are so grateful for your commitment to the Home. Your support is needed now more than ever.

In this issue, we will be talking to our frontline staff and about all the amazing work they have been continuing to do despite the difficult times that COVID-19 has put us all through. You will read updates about our virtual campaigns, events and competitions including our first ever virtual dog and cat show hosted by our fantastic Animal Champion, Marc Abraham.

Excitingly with the Home now re-open for rehoming, I have been so proud of my friends who are looking very sharp in their rehoming profiles, which are now up for viewing on our site. You can also check out some of these characters who are featured throughout this issue and just can’t wait to find their forever homes.

From me and everyone at the Home, thank you for your endless support.

We hope you enjoy our latest news!

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edch.org.uk

NEWS AND UPDATES

Pip And Olive Looking for their new best friend

Pip and Olive were brought to the Home in June 2020 due to their owner unfortunately becoming allergic to cats. Upon their arrival they were very curious but had no problem settling in. As they are sisters who love each other’s company they are looking to stay together in their new forever home.

Olive is a confident girl, while Pip can be little timid, but they are a sweet and affectionate pair who love getting cuddles and attention. They are playful girls who love having fun with their toys, especially when there is catnip around. They have been used to being indoor cats but if their new home has a garden, they may be interested in exploring a little once they have settled in.

The girls are looking for someone who has had cats before and will understand that sisterly love can include some moments of hissing! As they are sociable cats, they are also open to a home with children.

If you are interested in giving Pip and Olive their forever home, please visit our website to fill out a rehoming interest form.

edch.org.uk

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WHAT’S NEW AT THE HOME

What’s

Running a Rescue Centre in a Global Crisis

New

Changing The Way We Operate The COVID-19 pandemic and government measures put in place to control the virus, have caused big changes for the way we work at Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home.

We have reviewed all of our internal processes, our physical set up, our cleaning procedures and our staff and customer PPE requirements to ensure that we have taken all reasonable actions to reduce risk to our staff and customers.

Our frontline staff are working on adjusted rotas to minimise social contact and our non-frontline staff have been working from home wherever possible.

In May we put a call out on social media for donations of PPE for our staff, including face masks, gloves, face shields and hand sanitiser. We are so grateful to all of the companies, individuals and groups who responded to our plea and donated these important items, which have allowed our staff to do their jobs safely.

Rehoming Moment 4

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Our New Rehoming Process In June, we were delighted to be able to open our doors for rehoming again after three months of lockdown. Our rehoming process has always encouraged customers to visit our centre in the first instance to fill in a rehoming interest form with our team, before then going through the next stages of their rehoming journey.

The pandemic has made us turn this process around, and now all rehoming interest applications must be made online, followed by a telephone interview with our team, before being invited to visit our centre to meet their potential dog or cat match. This new way of working means that we have been able to minimise the number of customers on site at any time, reducing the risk of spreading the virus to all involved.

We will no longer accommodate walk-in visits in 2020.

edch.org.uk

WHAT’S NEW AT THE HOME

Welcoming Our New CEO In April, following a short period as Interim CEO, the Home’s Board of Trustees were delighted to appoint Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine as the Home’s permanent CEO. Lindsay joined the Home in 2015 and served the role of Director of Operations and Deputy CEO until taking on the role as Interim CEO in December 2019.

Lindsay has been blogging about her journey as the Home’s new CEO and leading the team through the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can read her blog so far by visiting edch.org.uk/blog

Thank You The pandemic has had a significant financial impact on the Home.

With events cancelled and lots of our planned fundraising activities on-hold we have seen our income drop significantly.

However, we have been blown away by the generosity of people like you, who have continued to dig deep and support the Home at a time where we have needed our community to rally round us. We want to say a heartfelt thank you to every single person, company and group who have donated during the crisis. Whether a financial donation or bedding for our animals, we are so grateful for all of our wonderful supporters.

edch.org.uk

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FUNDRAISING NEWS

Virtual Dog And Cat Show

Fundraising

News

On 15 May, our celebrity host Marc ‘the Vet’ Abraham announced the winners of our first ever virtual dog and cat show. After receiving a staggering 600 fantastic entries across 18 categories, it is safe to say it was not easy choosing winners.

A huge congratulations to all of the winners and thank you to every single person who took part and entered their pet. Each entry brought a smile to our faces, but more importantly helped us raise over £1,082 for the Home!

Cheekiest Co-worker

Keep up to date with the latest news by following us on Twitter @EdinDogCatHome Purrfect Pair

More than Jog With Gobi Goes Virtual!

Following a successful ‘Jog with Gobi’ 5k walk and run on Portobello Promenade in 2017, our amazing Animal Champions Dion and Lucja Animals Champions, Leonard and superstar dog Gobi Dion and Gobi decided to go virtual and support the Home during the pandemic!

£5,700 raised for the Home

The event was a huge success, which spread right across the globe, with 263 participants running, jogging and walking 5k on 30 May in their own local area. Thank you to everyone who took part and a special shout out to our top fundraisers – overall a whopping £5,708.16 has been raised for the animals in our care.

Well done everyone and we hope you enjoyed keeping fit whilst supporting the Home.

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edch.org.uk

FUNDRAISING NEWS

Our Spring Appeal raised almost

£9,000

Spring Appeal Thank you to all our supporters who donated to our first ever Spring Appeal - Spring To Their Senses.

The appeal focused on sensory enrichment, encouraging individuals to get involved in creating their own sensory garden for their pet whilst helping to raise funds for the dogs and cats in our care. You helped to raise almost £9,000, which is a huge support for our animals during this incredibly challenging time for the Home. We hope that everyone who created their own sensory garden for their pets have seen the difference it can make to your own dogs and cats.

Talented Musicians, Scott Longmuir and Katie Kennedy

Virtual Busking We are very excited to announce that our regular Thursday evening Facebook Live Virtual Busks, have raised £1,114 in donations for the Home, Woohoo! We’d like to send out a huge thank-you to everyone who kindly donated during the shows and we hope you enjoyed the talents of our very own Scott and Katie, whose day jobs are working at the Home!

edch.org.uk

MY FOREVER HOME

s ’ i k o | L d Max an New Chapter

Max and Loki came to the Home in April 2020 when their owners were no longer able to care for them. Unfortunately, due to leaves, twigs and dirt getting caught in their fur, they arrived with shaved patches but otherwise were in good health.

They were both a little unsure of strangers at first and it took a while for them to gain some confidence. However, after a few days they began to adapt to their new surroundings and started to show signs of affection as they became comfortable with the team.

The lovable pair received daily grooming, which helped maintain their remaining fur. Initially, they were reluctant about their grooming sessions, but with a few treats to hand they were soon persuaded!

Fortunately, being in good health and having very charming personalities, Max and Loki found their forever home not too long after their arrival.

0131 669 5331 or visit

Max and Loki have arrived at such a special time for us, we all missed our cats so much and there was an empty hole that has well and truly been filled by these two. They have their daily “crazy” time of racing round the house, more like dogs chasing and playing than cats.

edch.org.uk

Max and Loki’s owner

To find out how you can change the life of an animal in our care, please get in touch by calling

10

Over the last two years, we have said goodbye to our three cats. In May 2020, we all decided that we were ready to welcome a new member to our household and started looking for a cat we could make part of the family. We were very lucky to find out about two brother cats that were looking for their forever home.

The rehoming team at the Home made the process so easy and guided us through every step.

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edch.org.uk

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

ight In The Spotl

Jess Jess Cockburn, the Home’s Assistant Kennel Manager, talks us though the changes that our frontline staff have tackled during the current pandemic.

We are so grateful to our wonderful supporters, whose ongoing donations have allowed our animal care staff to continue their vital work with dogs and cats.

Q

With circumstances constantly changing these days, what has been the toughest hurdle for our frontline staff and how have the team handled this?

Our amazing staff have blown me away with their willingness and ability to quickly adapt to the changes we have had to make. However, naturally there have been some difficulties and I would say the toughest hurdle for us was knowing we had to temporarily stop rehoming.

Our mission is to find every animal their forever home and not knowing when we can do this brought us a lot of uncertainty. However, now we have reopened for rehoming we have been so happy to see some of our animals off to their forever homes which has been a fantastic turnaround. edch.org.uk

Q

Have there been any unexpected benefits of lockdown?

While being closed to the public, we have been given the advantage of a little extra time. This has been funnelled straight back into the care we provide to the animals and fantastic progress has been made in training and socialising.

Some of our dogs who were previously anxious when meeting other dogs, have now found new friends and lots of relationships have blossomed.

Q

How have the staff at the Home been ensuring that the animals are still in safe hands and being cared for as usual?

There is no problem here – we cannot keep our handsoff them!! The staff, as always, work very hard and with an abundance of never-ending energy and dedication to fill each animal’s day with as much fun, love and care as possible.

Q

Is there anything you’d like to tell our readers about how they can help to continue to support our animals during the pandemic?

The Home is grateful for every donation we receive.

No matter how small it is, it all truly helps. Our Amazon Wish List has also helped provide us with treats and presents for our animals.

I would also like to say a huge thank you to all who have provided us with much-needed face masks and other PPE.

To find out more about our Amazon Wish List visit: amzn.to/2YY0Xxm

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HOW WILL YOU REMEMBER?

How Will You

? r e b m e m Re

Whether a family member, a friend or a beloved pet, remembering our loved ones when they are no longer with us is important to us all.

Experts advise that talking about loved ones and remembering them can be an important part of the grieving process.

As an animal welfare organisation, we know just how important the bond is between people and their pets, and just how devastating the loss of a pet can be.

Our pets become an important part of our lives, and although we know the number of years we have with them are limited, it doesn’t make it any easier when they pass on.

For many people, donating to a charity in memory of their loved one or pet is a practical and tangible way to remember

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those that were close to them. It may be a charity that their loved one had an affinity for, or one that helped them personally.

At Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, our community often support our work by making a donation in memory of a person or a pet that they loved. Because of this we offer two special ways in which our supporters can donate whether you choose to dedicate a leaf on one of our memory trees or sponsor a dog kennel or cat pen.

edch.org.uk

HOW WILL YOU REMEMBER?

Memory Trees Last year we introduced a reflection garden at our site, which has now been dedicated to Leo, one of the Home’s longest residents. It is a quiet space which gives people a place to remember those they have lost. To help our supporters memorialise their beloved pets, we have also recently added two beautiful memory trees to Leo’s Garden.

Each leaf on the tree can be personalised with the name of a dog or cat.

In addition, we have now added a digital version of the memory trees to our website. This means that our supporters who live a bit further away from our centre and may find it difficult to visit, can still memorialise their pet on the tree and see it from the comfort of their own home.

A Special Farewell Earlier this year, one of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home’s longest and most-loved residents, Leo, sadly passed away, having an enormous impact on those who had cared for him. He will remain in the hearts of our staff as we are sure he will in the hearts of those who followed his story and supported us, as we tried desperately to find him a forever home for over five years.

We’ve dedicated our reflection garden to his memory, which will be known as ‘Leo’s Garden’, and a tree has been planted there in his honour.

Dedicate a leaf to your pet

Sponsorship Our sponsorship programme offers our supporters the opportunity to sponsor a dog kennel or cat pen for one year, whilst also having their name, or name of a loved one on a special plaque on our sponsor wall.

Many people choose to sponsor a dog kennel or cat pen in memory of their own pet, or in memory of a friend or family member who had an affinity for animals.

To find out more about Leo’s Garden and memory trees, or to purchase your own leaf in memory of your pet, please visit edch.org.uk/memorytrees

Sponsor a dog kennel or cat pen from

£125

To find out more about how you can sponsor a dog kennel or cat pen, please visit edch.org.uk/memorytrees

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HOW WILL YOU BE REMEMBERED?

? d e r e b m Reme

How Will You Be

Many of us have considered what impact we will leave on the world after we have gone. How will people remember me? Have I made a difference? Will I have achieved all of the things that I set out to?

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home has served our community for almost 140 years because of people choosing to remember our dogs and cats in their Will.

Thinking about death can be difficult for many, but some find solace in the realisation that it is in itself part of life, and in planning for one’s own passing.

Making sure our loved ones are provided for when we are gone is another key consideration, especially at significant milestones in our own life.

1 in 3 of our animals are saved thanks to gifts in Wills 14

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HOW WILL YOU BE REMEMBERED?

It costs the Home around £2.7 million every year to run our vital services and a large percentage of this is funded by our wonderful legacy donors. Gifts in Wills come in all sizes, with some people deciding to donate a set cash amount and others opting to leave a portion of their estate.

Not only have gifts in Wills helped the Home survive for over a century, but people who have pledged to leave a gift in their Will are helping the Home plan for the future and provide some certainty for the organisation, at a time where raising funds is becoming more and more difficult.

It’s for the sheer love of cats, who have given us hours of enjoyment, that we are leaving our estate to Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. We know we have found the right place.”

David and Jacki Aston If you have been thinking about planning your Will and have an affinity for the work of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, why not consider pledging a gift in your Will to support our work, after providing for your loved ones?

Our team can discuss with you how the Home would use your gift and the impact that it will make to stray, lost and abandoned dogs and cats.

To find out more about leaving a gift in your Will to Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, please visit edch.org.uk/legacy

Help Secure Our Future

edch.org.uk

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Thank You

for your endless support, from all the team at Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home.

Text

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Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home 26 Seafield Road East Edinburgh EH15 1EH T: 0131 669 5331 E: info@edch.org.uk 16

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Our registered charity number: SC006914

edch.org.uk