As football fans across the city look forward to the Edinburgh Derby tonight on the 27th December, the four-legged residents of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home have donned both teams’ colours. They don’t mind who you support, they would just love to watch by your side.
In 2023, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home has seen a record number of requests to surrender pets or access support from their pet foodbanks.
Getting in the matchday spirit, Alfie a 4-year-old Domestic Shorthair cat, Copper a 7-month-old German Shorthaired Pointer, Peter a 12-year-old Lurcher, Lily and Daisy 1.5-year-old Jack Russel x Poodles, and finally Reggie and Ronnie a pair of 8-year-old Jack Russels, have been sporting the famous colours of both Edinburgh teams.
Lindsay Fyffe Jardine, CEO of the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, said: “We know how much football means to people across Scotland, ahead of the Edinburgh Derby we wanted to highlight that our residents who are looking for a new home, don’t care who you support, they just want to be by your side.
“This year we have seen a record number of surrender requests as well as a significant increase in the need for pet food bank support. Winter is especially difficult for us, and we are extremely grateful to anyone who can donate towards our winter appeal, or able to give a pet a loving home.”
The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home finds winter an especially difficult season as higher costs drain funds while demand for their vital services increases.
They recently launched a Winter Appeal, seeking donations to enable the Home to cope with the increased demand, continue providing vital support to animals in need and help people to keep their beloved pets at home.
To make a donation and to read more of their life-altering stories please visit:
Christmas is a wonderful time for so many; filled with love and connection, and at the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home it’s no different. For many staff, Christmas day is spent at the Home, looking after the animals and sharing Christmas cheer.
A typical Christmas day at the Home consists of even more love, treats and playtime for its residents. In the lead up to the big day, members of the team have wrapped up presents for every animal to open and enjoy. The dogs are taken for a big run around outside, followed by Christmas snacks, presents and lots of cuddles.
The team give each cat a gift to suit their personal tastes such as a soft toy or a ball, but inevitably, they’re more interested in the wrapping paper! They are then treated with Tuna, Sardines and gourmet cat food for their delicious Christmas dinner.
The Home works endlessly all year round to help keep pets in their loving homes, but sadly receive a heart-breaking number of surrender requests when owners are no longer able to care for their pet.
Earlier this year Simon came to the Home as a young puppy after being found tied to a park bench alone in the early hours of a cold Spring morning, beside a plastic bag with his belongings. Simon was left frightened, malnourished and anxious.
When he arrived at the Home he quickly captured the whole team’s hearts. Thanks to the care, love and hard work he received, Simon gained enough confidence, and condition, to be ready to go to his forever home.
Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine, CEO of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home said:‘Our team creates something truly special here at Christmas. Everyone is so dedicated to the animals and mission that we are more than happy to spend the day here at the Home. It’s always such high spirits, with everyone chipping in to make the day all the more fun for each other and for the dogs and cats.
“Until the animals are rescued and re-homed, we are their family, and Christmas is the time for family.”
The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home finds winter an especially difficult season as higher costs drain funds while demand for their vital services increases.
To help get through the winter months, the Home recently launched a Winter Appeal, seeking donations to enable the Home to cope with the increased demand, continue providing vital support to animals in need and help people to keep their beloved pets at home.
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To make a donation and to read more of their life-altering stories please visit www.edch.org.uk/winterappeal OR text SURRENDER to 70560 to donate £5.
Donations of £20 can provide a cat with the vaccinations they require to be rehomed or £100 could keep a dog warm in the Home for three months.
Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. If you would like to donate but don’t wish to hear more, text SURRENDERNOINFO instead.
Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home reports demand for pet food bank support is now outstripping the supply
As the cost of living escalates, increasing demand is being made on food banks. And not just to feed people – pet owners are being faced with the awful reality of not being able to afford food for their animals so have begun to rely on food banks to feed their beloved pets.
At the end of 2020 the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home supplied fifty food banks in East and Central Scotland with vital meals for pets. They now supply 88 and requests from pet owners since last year has risen by 33%.
To demonstrate just how much demand has increased, in October 2020 the Home provided 500 food bank meals – compared with a staggering 52,613 in October 2023.
Community Outreach Lead at the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, Kirsten Gillon, said that the cost-of-living crisis is partly to blame. She said, “The cost-of-living crisis has really accentuated the fact that people are needing help to feed their pets.
“And it’s not always people who are on benefits who need us, it’s also people who are working and can’t access government support, so they are forced turn to our food banks.”
The demand for pet food bank support is growing so rapidly it is currently outstripping supply.
Kirsten continued, “The need is just growing and growing, it’s not declining in any way. The need is far greater than anything I thought it would be. And trying to find enough donations to fill the requests is really difficult.
“We’ve tried to increase donations coming in and we try to split donations as fairly and equally as we can across locations. It’s not always possible as we are at the mercy of the generous donations of the public.”
Without food bank support from the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, some pet owners would be forced to surrender their beloved dog or cat, as this anonymous user explains:
“Pets are key to my mental health as well as physical health and over all wellbeing. I didn’t realise I could get help with dog food and have been going without so I could feed my two dogs. This help with food is so appreciated and allows us all to be fed and stay together.”
The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home finds winter an especially difficult season as higher costs drain funds while demand for their vital services increases.
To help get through the winter months, the Home recently launched a Winter Appeal, seeking donations to enable the Home to cope with the increased demand, continue providing vital support to animals in need and help people to keep their beloved pets at home.
To make a donation and to read more of their life-altering stories please visit www.edch.org.uk/winterappeal OR text SURRENDER to 70560 to donate £5.
Donations of £20 can provide a cat with the vaccinations they require to be rehomed or £100 could keep a dog warm in the Home for three months.
Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. If you would like to donate but don’t wish to hear more, text SURRENDERNOINFO instead.
The support of generous donors has kept Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home open for 140 years and given animals a safe place to recover, find love and to support 88 foodbanks across East and Central Scotland.
Edinburgh’s insta-famous ‘petfluencer’ Hunter (@hunter.the.good.boy) has been named as Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home’s very first ‘Ambassadog’.
Stepping up for the role, Hunter visited the home to find out more about the services they offer and lend a paw loading up the food-bank donations van.
A frequent visitor to the Home’s Big Dog Park, located at Seafield promenade, Hunter’s owners often book out the private hire outdoor space to allow him to enjoy some free time to run around in a secure space.
Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home enlisted the help of Hunter to help spread the word about their winter campaign as they face an unprecedented increase in demand for their support services including food banks and emergency food packages.
The charity’s Winter Appeal is calling out for support to enable them to provide vital aid for animals in need and help people to keep their beloved pets at home this winter.
Depending on the funding from public donations and the assistance of volunteer support to help staff, The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home finds winter an especially difficult season as high energy prices drain funds while demand for their vital services increases.
Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine, CEO of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, explained, “We have seen a devastating increase in the number of surrender requests that we have received this year.
“This is due to various factors, including financial difficulties, behavioural issues and personal circumstances. We have supported pets for 140 years and it’s so important now, more so than ever, that we continue to receive donations and help provide pets with a safe place to recover, find love and also enable owners going through hard times to stay together with their pets.
“We don’t judge anyone or their circumstances and know that the rise in the cost of living has caused some to struggle to make ends meet. Winter can be especially tough, so with the support of our new Ambassadog Hunter, we are appealing to those who can, to make a donation. £20 can provide a cat with the vaccinations they require to be rehomed or £100 could keep a dog warm in the Home for three months.”
Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. If you would like to donate but don’t wish to hear more, text SURRENDERNOINFO instead.
– It’ll be lonely this Christmas for almost a hundred dogs and cats in Edinburgh as a record number of families have had to make the difficult decision to give up their pets this year –
With a rise in the number of households welcoming new pets to their family during Covid, coupled with the financial devastation of the cost-of-living crisis, 2023 has seen the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home taking in more pets than ever before.
So far this year, the Home has received a staggering 1,208 surrender requests (898 dogs and 479 cats). The dramatic increase in demand has left the Home unable to take in 85.8% of the requests.
Additionally, since January 2023, more than 561 enquiries, a 33% increase from last year, have been made by families struggling to make ends meet and subsequently seeking support to help keep their pets at home, and the Home’s food bank service across East and Central Scotland has seen a 39.4% increase in demand from last year.
But all hope is not lost, as thanks to the hard work of its staff and volunteers, the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home team has already supported 148 dogs and 72 cats to find new loving homes for life this past year and has managed to keep over 4,500 pets with their owners through community support services such as pet food banks, educational content and training, and other outreach services.
The Home has also delivered a fantastic 85 emergency dog first aid courses and an additional 144 full dog first aid qualifications to pet owners in Edinburgh, helping to keep the city’s pets safe and healthy.
Piper is one pet who came into the hands of the Home earlier this year, heavily pregnant and living outside as a stray.
Piper was brought to the Home by a couple after they had seen her around their neighborhood for a couple of months and had attempted to find her owner via Facebook and various other groups to no avail. When they noticed that Piper’s belly was getting bigger, they put it down to a potential health problem and decided to bring her in – luckily just in time.
Piper gave birth to 4 healthy kittens on her very first night in the Home, without which, she would have had to try and find a safe space to give birth outside and her kittens might not have made it. The team had her settled into the Home quickly on the night she arrived and witnessed the relief she felt being able to give birth to her kittens in a safe environment. By the morning, the first of her litter had arrived.
Just a few months later, Piper has been happily rehomed with vet nurse Lauren, who fell in love with Piper when she visited Lauren’s vet practice for mastitis treatment after giving birth, and then again to be spayed.
Lauren and her partner visited Piper a couple of times at the Home and enjoyed playing with her and getting to know her. From the first night they took her home, she was snuggled up on their bed, enjoying head scratches and cuddles and is slowly gaining trust to come up to them and sit on their laps.
Lauren said: “It just feels like my life wasn’t complete without having a cat and she’s just fitted in so well, I feel like it was meant to be. She’s honestly amazing. I love her little personality, she’s independent but so friendly and affectionate as well, she’s the perfect cat.”
Pipers kittens; Snowflake, Calico, Atreyu, Maya are are all doing well and have recently gone to their own loving homes.
Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine, CEO of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home said: “Thanks to the hard work of our team, the support of volunteers who have donated almost 2,000 hours over the course of the past year, and the generosity of the people of Edinburgh and beyond for their kind donations, we have been able to help many pets through preventative community work and by caring for and rehoming animals who come to us.
However, to help us keep on top of the unprecedented increase in demand, now more than ever we’re relying on funding from public donations to enable us to support owners going through hard times to stay together with their pets, or rehabilitate and rehome pets like Piper.”
The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home finds winter an especially difficult season as higher costs drain funds while demand for their vital services increases. To help get through the winter months, the Home recently launched a Winter Appeal, seeking donations to enable the Home to cope with the increased demand, continue providing vital support to animals in need and help people to keep their beloved pets at home.
To make a donation and to read more of their life-altering stories please visit www.edch.org.uk/winterappeal OR text SURRENDER to 70560 to donate £5.
Donations of £20 can provide a cat with the vaccinations they require to be rehomed or £100 could keep a dog warm in the Home for three months.
Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. If you would like to donate but don’t wish to hear more, text SURRENDERNOINFO instead.
The support of generous donors has kept Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home open for 140 years and given Piper and hundreds like them a safe place to recover and find love.
The Home has become an important part of the city and to bring this to life Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home has photographed some of its former residents that have now been rehomed; Reggie, Truffle, Martha, and Toffee, at some of Edinburgh’s other iconic locations including the Forth Bridge, Greyfriars Bobby and Edinburgh Castle.
Demand for support has risen as the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home has received record number of surrender requests
As the cost of living remains at an all-time high, the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home has reported a record number of surrender requests and demand for their support at food banks across East and Central Scotland has increased.
The charity’s Winter Appeal is calling out for support to enable them to provide vital aid for animals in need and help people to keep their beloved pets at home this winter.
This July the Home received their highest number of surrender requests on record – a staggering 236% increase from October 2022, and between January and August 2023 the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home rehomed 167 dogs and 81 cats. The Home have also only been able to take in 8.8% of the surrender requests due to the high demand.
In 2019 the Home launched a series of food banks around Edinburgh and reaching as far north as Stirling and as far south as the Borders, to support pet-owners who are going through a tough time and are at risk of having to surrender their pets. Whether through preventative community work or caring for and rehoming animals who come to them, the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home gives their all to support dogs and cats in East and Central Scotland.
The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home is also a place of refuge for animals who have been victims of abuse. The charity recently saved the life of Bagel, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, who was victim of years of chronic neglect.
Emaciated, blind due to a dry eye condition, deaf due to severe ear mites, anaemic and malnourished, the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home’s in-house vet, Bridget, said that when Bagel arrived, she was half the weight she should have been.
“Poor Bagel was in a sorry way when she came to us,” Bridget explained. “Years of dirt and grime were matted in to her fur and because she was so sick her body had stopped producing hair so she had bald patches all over.
“Incredibly, with months of constant treatment and care, Bagel made a full recovery. It has been incredible to see her gain the energy and newfound confidence to enjoy life.”
Depending on the funding from public donations and the assistance of volunteer support to help staff, The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home finds winter an especially difficult season as high energy prices drain funds while demand for their vital services increases.
Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine, CEO of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, explained, “We have seen a devastating increase in the number of surrender requests that we have received this year. This is due to various factors, including financial difficulties, behavioural issues and personal circumstances.
“We have supported pets for 140 years and it’s so important now, more so than ever, that we continue to receive donations and help provide dogs like Bagel with a safe place to recover, find love and also enable owners going through hard times to stay together with their pets.
“We don’t judge anyone or their circumstances and know that the rise in the cost of living has caused some to struggle to make ends meet. Winter can be especially tough and we are appealing to those who can to make a donation. £20 can provide a cat with the vaccinations they require to be rehomed or £100 could keep a dog warm in the Home for three months.”
Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. If you would like to donate but don’t wish to hear more, text SURRENDERNOINFO instead.
“Following my recent visit to Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home (EDCH) in Seafield, I attended their parliamentary drop-in session yesterday supported by animal campaigner and TV Presenter Kirsty Gallacher at the Scottish Parliament (writes FOYSOL CHOUDHURY MSP).
“CEO Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine and her Team at EDCH have been doing tremendous work to alleviate pet poverty across the Lothian region and beyond, ensuring pet owners are not separated from their families.
“Many pet owners across Scotland have been struggling to keep their much beloved pets at home as they can no longer pay for food, heat and vet bills particularly with the cost of living crisis which has exasperating the situation post-Covid.
“This has been very traumatic for cat and dog owners whose pets are part of the family, providing them with joy, comfort and security.
“Edinburgh Dog and Cat home Pet Food Bank launched in 2019, provides pet food, jackets, blankets, leads, collars, bowls and bedding to those who can no longer afford their pets’ needs or care for them properly due to financial difficulties, an illness, homelessness or other social issues.
“It is important that we raise awareness that these Pet Food banks do exist and are there to support pet owners when needed. To guarantee pet supplies are available, EDCH has partnered up with 88 human food banks and has been supporting over 3,800 pets each month across the Lothians, Fife, Falkirk and The Borders.
“However, The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home has been struggling with the rising costs-of-living. CEO Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine reached out to me at the end of last year to make me aware of the significant challenges the Pet Home has been going through due the rising costs.
“In November last year, the Home was hit with a huge increase in annual electricity and gas costs– equating to £130K of unanticipated funding that Lindsay has been desperate to find. This is an addition to £200K needed to cover increased supplier costs.
“These increases are just unsustainable in addition to coping with the increase of pet owners having to give up their cats and dogs. Lindsay informed me that the phone calls are increasing 7 days a week, with calls up 55% from December to January.
“The energy and cost increases are just exasperating an already struggling pet home, and animal charities like EDCH do not have the option to turn the lights and heating off. They have pets who need their care and rehabilitation as well as staff who need them to care for them while they carry out their mission both on the Home’s site and right across East and Central Scotland.
“EDCH has been working to exhaustion point to avoid a major pet crisis, keeping our communities together, making sure our pets are cared for and assuring owners can keep their pets to avoid the trauma of losing their beloved pet. We all know how our pets play a central part within our family lives, they give many who would find themselves completely lonely and isolated company and a reason to live for.
“In the past months, I have raised questions to the Scottish Government regarding the impacts of the cost crisis on pet ownership and I will continue to put pressure on them to ensure our pet homes avoid the prospect of closing.
“Our local animal shelters like EDCH need our support and we need to see practical action beyond donations to ensure the survival of this 140-year old animal shelter to keep our animals safe and sheltered, and avoid painful separation from their owners.”
Responding after hearing of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home in Seafield facing the cost crisis that is set to put it on its knees, Foysul CHoudhury MSP said:“I was very concerned of hearing the struggles that The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home (EDCH) is currently facing with the rising costs-of-living.
“CEO Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine reached out to me at the end of last year to make me aware of the significant challenges the Pet Home has been going through due the cost-of-living crisis.
“Just last November, the Pet home received next year’s annual electricity and gas costs showing an increase by 205% and 576% respectively – equating to £130K of unanticipated funding that Ms Fyffe-Jardine will desperately need to find. This is an addition to £200K needed to cover increased supplier costs.
“These increases are just unsustainable in addition to coping with the increase of pet owners having to give up their cats and dogs. Lindsay informed me that the phone calls are increasing 7 days a week and the human foodbanks they are supporting with pet food, blankets and leads will increase to 70+ – equating to supporting now 2,600 families across the Lothians, Fife, Falkirk and The Borders.
“I met Lindsay and her amazing team shortly after I got elected in 2021 when I visited the EDCH in Seafield. The Team worked tirelessly during Covid to cope with exponential rehoming when people were losing their jobs, no longer being able to afford them, people going to care homes, having to go to a homeless shelter or other owner’s hardship. This is only set to get worse.
“The energy and cost increases are just exasperating an already struggling pet home, and animal charities like EDCH do not have the option to turn the lights and heating off. They have pets who need their care and rehabilitation as well as staff who need them to care for them while they carry out their mission both on the Home’s site and right across East and Central Scotland.
“EDCH has been working to exhaustion point to avoid a major pet crisis, keeping our communities together, making sure our pets are cared for and assuring owners can keep their pets to avoid the trauma of losing their beloved pet. We all know how our pets play a central part within our family lives, they give many who would find themselves completely lonely and isolated company and a reason to live for.
“In the past months, I have raised questions to the Scottish Government regarding the impacts of the cost crisis on pet ownership and will continue to do so this year. I will be visiting one of EDCH foodbank partners in Granton, run by the Salvation Army tomorrow to raise more awareness, find out more on their needs in the year ahead and how I can support them.
“I will continue to raise awareness in 2023 of this pet crisis that is just on our doorstep and I look forward to visiting the foodbank at Granton Salvation Army and meeting Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home passionate team again.
“Our local animal shelters need our support and we need to see practical action beyond donations to ensure the survival of this 140-year old animal shelter to keep our animals safe and sheltered, and avoid painful separation from their owners.”
– Luxury dog brand encourages customers to return used puppy collars –
Luxury dog accessories firm, Stocky & Dee, is encouraging pet owners to do their bit to cut out waste and return their used puppy collars. Stocky & Dee’s ‘Pup-cycle’ initiative up-cycles outgrown puppy collars and donates them to dogs homes to be worn again.
The charity initiative from the Edinburgh-headquartered family business asks customers to send back collars which their puppy has outgrown in return for a discount on a future purchase.
Stocky & Dee refurbishes these collars, if required, and donates them to a different dog charity every month with the first being The Edinburgh Dog & Cat Home. Their Pup-cycle initiative is one of the many ways Stocky & Dee encourages the reusability of their products and helps in their drive to be a sustainable business that does not negatively impact the environment.
Customers can follow the journey of their returned collar by visiting Stocky & Dee’s website where they can see their former puppy collar with its new owner.
To date the company has refurbished and donated 65 collars to five dog homes in the UK. This is an extension to their ‘Puppy Pack’ offer where customers are offered a puppy collar for half price when purchasing the fully grown collar.
In addition to up-cycling outgrown puppy collars, Stocky & Dee will soon be launching a service that sees no used Stocky & Dee products end up in landfill. As each piece is built by one of the Stocky & Dee team they have the ability to up-cycle, alter and be creative with these used products so they can continue to be used. This includes anything from the metal on each product to the yarn fabrics used.
Founder of Stocky & Dee and textiles graduate, Mairi Robb, said: “We want to be with our customers on their whole dog journey from pup to pensioner. As dog owners, we understand how much people want to spoil their new pups but appreciate how expensive this can be, especially considering how fast they grow.
“Our puppy pack allows customers to treat their puppies without breaking the bank and our Pup-cycle initiative allows them to send back these collars, in return for a voucher and see it continue it’s life with a new owner.
Katie Kennedy, Corporate Engagement and Events Co-ordinator at Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home said: “Through Stocky & Dee’s support and their Pupcycle initiative we’ve been able to provide our furry residents with the trendiest collars.
“As we receive no regular government funding we rely heavily on the generous support of the public, companies, and charitable trusts to fund our work. We are very grateful for the support that Stocky & Dee has shown us throughout lockdown to now and look forward to continuing the partnership.”
During the peak of the pandemic when animal charities were hit hard across the globe, Stocky & Dee created a bespoke Rainbow Dog Collar with donations going to Mrs Murrays Dog & Cat Home in Aberdeen, raising over £1000 for them so far.
The design was so popular that it has been made part of the permanent collection.
Stocky & Dee was launched in Scotland in 2019 by husband and wife team Mairi and Chris Robb. It has experienced rapid growth, partly as a result of the surge in pet ownership during the pandemic.
