hey
Im wanting to start my own animal shelter taking in dogs, cats, horses , goats etc anything and rehoming them when and or if fit to,
I know that this cost a hell of a lot of money to do and run etc etc .. hours days nights everyday every min but its just something i really want to do. I wnat to focus on dogs and equines. Im taking my bhs 1234 ptt next year. Im hoping its not a dream !! what do you all thik or does anybody have any sugestions or yah know..

basicly advice ! :D

Thanks

Just wanted to say good luck with it. Ive always wanted to do something like that but havent got a clue how to go about starting it! Ive always said if I won the lottery and didnt have to go to work I would set up my own animal sanctuary!
Hope it all goes well

Make sure you have a good vet you can trust and lots of your own knowledge, places to fundraise, someone to help with advertising and a solicitor who can help you with legalities and contracts.

Thats just for starters!

As sooz22 says....

plus you need to be strong both mentally and physically, running a rescue isn't a hobby or pastime it is a way of life. Forget holidays, make sure your bank balance is very healthy.

Taking in animals is easy, far too easy. Making them well and finding good life long homes for them is full time task on its own.

If you feel you have the stamina and the will power good luck and I'm sure you will enjoy it. The pleasure of seeing a bedraggled unwanted ill animal brought back to good health before being rehomed with a loving family is fantastic and very satisfying.

Start small and build up over a period of time, don't be bullied into taking animals you don't have space for, get yourself sorted as a registered charity ASAP. Surround yourself with volunteers who are keen to help.

Again good luck.

Hi,

Big job. :)

Have you worked in one before? If not, I'd suggest contacting a couple and get some experience.

And if you're intending making it have charitable status you'll need other people to help you by being trustees of the charitable arm of things, I think...

Biggest practical issue will be land and planning permission, I think.

yea. at the moment all i do is work around animals so i know the comitment, etc but i love it too so..

thanks for your feedback im studying animal management atm then equine so il have the knolodge and experiance.. then im going to start on getting more vet training.. so i know how to deal with the little things myself ie nutrition etc but yea deffinatly good advise about the laws around animal welfare.

Thanks again people for the good advice!!!!!!

:D

yea. at the moment all i do is work around animals so i know the comitment, etc but i love it too so..

thanks for your feedback im studying animal management atm then equine so il have the knolodge and experiance.. then im going to start on getting more vet training.. so i know how to deal with the little things myself ie nutrition etc but yea deffinatly good advise about the laws around animal welfare.

Thanks again people for the good advice!!!!!!

:D

Well If you need some help myself and my partner would be willing to give you a hand.

Ohh I forgot to say most important thing: Set a limit and stick to it! Never exceed your limit! It should be based on the number of animals you can safely accommodate and afford to feed/vet treat/spend time with. If you takle any more than your limit it will be unfair on the animals and yourself.

use a waiting list and arrange animals in order of need i.e animal cruelty and PTS cases always to the top, those in 'safe' homes or with a fosterer further down. urgent cases can always overtake fosters.

On that note, get a few good fosterers lined up too, most rescues now have at least 2/3 which they relie on regularly.

I ran a rescue in Woodseats some years ago for rabbits and guinea pig rescue the one thing that crippled me was the vets bills and finally i lost my home as a result but with the right input it can work

Good Luck with your venture - Yorkshire needs as many rescue centres as possible!

As other posters have said, vet bills and overheads can be cripplingly expensive, and are rarely offset by the adoption fees that you can charge for an animal (let's face it, how many people would adopt a cat if they had to pay the vet fees that had accrued? Bear in mind that we regularly have cats that have cost vet bills in excess of £1000).

Our vet bill for the last year was to be a little over £87,000, and we rehomed just over 400 cats in that period.

If you do the sums, you'll find that the vet fees per cat with those numbers amount to over £200, when the adoption fees are only £65 per cat.

So the fundraising has to subsidise each cat by about £135 on vet fees alone- and that doesn't even consider food, building overheads, staffing costs or anything else.

I sincerely wish you luck in setting up a rescue centre if that is your desire- but please be sure that this is really what you want. It's lots and lots of hard work, and it will never make you well off.

Have you thought about offering your services as a fosterer instead? if you are rescue affiliated they pay your vets bills and expenses for you.

Just a thought.

yes i have but i cant foster due to my own animals i have a big dog rottie cross he's very protective over me, he dislikes me touching anything with a pulse unless its his toys hehe maybe i shouldnt be so damn nice to him hehe id love to foster but untill my dog is gone its a no no and im not getting rid of him hehe I have to take my exams first for animal care, aid and management then il look more into it more ... it will take ages before im compeletly disided if its a possibility but thanks for all your support and advise!!!!! :D