Today I visited the National Animal Welfare Trust based on Wheal Alfred Road near Hayle. The NAWT have had a branch on Wheal Alfred Road for many years but the site underwent a major refurbishment last year with completely new kennels.
Louise Barker manages the centre and explained to me how they re-home over 500 dogs and around 100 cats every year. A really impressive record. Today I met a number of the current residents. Across the country there is a real problem at the moment with Staffordshire Terriers being abandoned or given up and Cornwall is no exception. They are victims of a fashion for the breed among young men in particular, and a misguided perception that it is possible to make money from breeding them.
The NAWT has many volunteer dog walkers to make sure their dogs get good exercise and a change of scenery. They also have an agility course to keep them entertained and engaged.
Fifteen years ago I took on a rescue dog from the RSPCA. Mono was an amazingly intelligent and loving Border Collie but, like many collies, also suffered from a few issues - most notably bells and ringing phones which led to the interior of more than one of my cars being a bit torn up unexpectedly.
That we are a nation of animal lovers is proved by the fact that there are so many vibrant charities like the NAWT out there doing this sort of work with so many volunteers willing to support them.
