Battersea Dogs & Cats Home

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has been around for so many years that almost every building and area has a history.

The Home was founded by Mrs Mary Tealby in 1860 in Holloway, North London, and moved to its present site in Battersea in 1871. In those days, the luxury of one or two dogs sharing a kennel was unheard of, and dogs were kept together in large kennel areas. They just had to get on with one another as well as they could.

Back then we received even more dogs a year than we do now. In 1881 we received almost 16,000 dogs, in 1886 we received 35,000 dogs and in 1896 the Home had its biggest intake ever by receiving 42,500 dogs. Compared to the 1990's, when we received around 10,000 dogs a year, the 1890's saw a lot more dogs needing our help.

Over the years Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has expanded massively and it is now squeezed in between the landmark building of the old power station (with its four famous chimneys), the train tracks and the gas works. People are astonished when they enter the doors of the Home to realise how big it really is, as it looks very small from the outside.

Come on a tour of the Home...

Please note that most of these areas are not open to the public.

Kent Kennels

Our newest kennel building was officially opened in 1997 by HRH Prince Michael of Kent, hence the name Kent Kennels. People coming to the Home looking for a four-legged friend come to this block to meet the dogs that are ready to be rehomed.

There are four floors and eight kennel blocks (two on each floor) containing 164 individual kennels. Ten of these are in the clinic area, which occupies one half of the ground floor.

Each kennel block has a different name, after famous areas of London. We even have our own Piccadilly Circus, which is the busy area on the ground floor where people wait to see a rehomer about a potential dog. On the third floor we have a long dog run called Green Park, and the clinic is called Harley Street - naturally.




Each individual kennel has a run at the back, heated beds and a special flushing system for cleaning the kennel. They're quite luxurious, really.





Tealby Kennels was named after the founder of the Home and contains 126 kennels for lost dogs. Stray dogs are held here for the first seven days of their stay at the Home, giving their owners a chance to come and claim them.

If you are looking for your lost dog this is the building to visit. A reception is situated on the ground floor dealing with people who are looking for their lost dog.

Some people are convinced that Mary Tealby's ghost haunts these kennels, appearing at night to greet newly arrived dogs.


Cats
We can house up to 150 cats at any one time, and they have three areas dedicated to them. In Kent Kennels, the cats ready for rehoming live in Feline Street on the second floor. There are 48 pens for cats with an outside run and heated beds.

The Old Cat House houses cats that have just come in, are on hold for new owners or are not ready for rehoming just yet. As the name suggests, this was the cat house before Kent was built.

The Cat Socialising Rooms are two quite new rooms in Unders, which are dedicated to cats that need extra stimulation or chilling out. These rooms have been made as homely as possible with furniture, TVs and radios and loads of cat toys. Very scared or unapproachable cats stay here while staff gently work on them until they are ready for rehoming.

Whittington Lodge
stands in the centre of the Home, and is a grade II listed building. It was designed by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis and built in 1906 as the original cattery. These days it is used as offices.

Treatment Kennels A fair amount of dogs get kennel cough whilst at the Home due to the quantity of dogs we have at any one time. They are cared for in the treatment kennels until they are fit and well again.

Rehab Kennels The rehabilitation unit has its own kennels to keep the dogs nearby and to separate dogs who need a bit of extra help with their behaviour away from the other dogs. Around 15 dogs are here at any one time receiving the extra training and socialising they need before they are ready to go to a new home.

The Puppy house
is also called 'The Nursery,' and houses puppies of up to four months old. The Nursery is bright and colourful and full of wonderful toys - just what a puppy needs.

The 'Toy shed'
is a little wooden shed for miniature dogs. Here they have their own little kingdom with no disturbance from bigger and bouncier dogs.

Unders
a funny name for kennels, but this area is directly under the railway bridge which goes across Battersea Dogs & Cats Home's land. They were first used as kennels in the early 1900s but have been developed since. Dogs don't spend very long here as they are mostly breed dogs waiting to go to a particular breed rescue centre or they could be on hold for their new owners.

Overs another funny name, but called this because they are 'over' the railway line. In the early 1900s Overs was used as an exercise area but has been used as kennels for many years. Overs have recently been refurbished. Large kennels have been built for breeds like Great Danes and Mastiffs, as some of these large breeds didn't have enough room in our ordinary kennels.

The New Land is our newest piece of land, hence the name - and a very original name it is.It is used as an exercise area for the dogs.

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is constantly expanding and being improved. In the near future there are plans to build new treatment kennels, a new cattery and have bigger exercise areas for dogs. We are also looking into the possibility of building a car park for the public.

We hope you enjoyed your tour of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and we hope to see you here soon.