Abandoned dogs taken into pooch palace
A newly refurbished London animal home hopes its luxurious kennels will help abandoned dogs be re-homed faster.
The Mayhew Animal Home's custom-made kennel units are equipped with TVs, showers, carpets and furnishings aimed at providing dogs with a totally stress-free environment.
An interior designer from Ikea has helped in the design of the £120,000 home-from-home kennels.
Each of the 10 units feature inter-connecting doors, a TV and video unit, pictures on the walls, burning aromatherapy oils, toys, soundproofing and heating. There is also a Swedish kennel suite provided by the Ikea designer and a canine Feng Shui garden.
The home hopes the more comfortable surroundings will help potential new owners and dogs bond better than among the normal concrete and metal bars of kennels.
Animal care manager Helen Betts, who created the project, said: "This has been made possible thanks to a very generous legacy left to the home. Now the dogs will be considerably less stressed and prospective adopters will meet the dogs in a far more comfortable setting, which can only lead to faster re-homing.
"We saved an enormous amount because we had in-house expertise and didn't have to pay for architects or planners. We also had furnishings donated to us or sold at a discounted price. Ikea very kindly designed and provided furnishings free of charge for two of our kennel units."
Niki Austin, from the home, added: "The new kennels were inspired by an animal home in San Francisco. From their experience, it tended to greatly enhance the re-homing potential of the dogs, as well as creating a more suitable environment for them."
TV vet Steve Leonard will be launching the kennels on Thursday, February 14, at 11am.
It's fantastic@!
