LILIBET AND CAROLYN

As well as dogs and cats awaiting their new loving homes, Mayhew’s shelter is also occupied by pets of loving owners who are experiencing a temporary and unexpected change in their personal circumstances or a crisis, causing a need for temporary care for their dog or cat. We take these beloved pets into our care through our Pet Refuge service for up to three months, providing veterinary and behavioural support and lots of love and attention. In this way, we prevent these animals and their loving families from being torn apart and stop them from coming into shelter in need of rehoming.

9 CATS 13 DOGS REUNITED WITH THEIR OWNERS AFTER BEING CARED FOR AT MAYHEW AS PART OF PET REFUGE

When Alisa from Bromley was told she urgently needed complex surgery in September 2022, her main priority wasn’t so much the major procedure required for painful bilateral osteoarthritis but rather who would look after her two children who both have special needs – and her beloved 12-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier, Major. Single mum Alisa, 50, was so desperate to find care for Major that when it appeared increasingly unlikely, she even considered cancelling the surgery she so badly needed altogether. Alisa found out about our Pet Refuge programme and the situation took a turn for the better.

Alisa said, “It was a moment will never forget! Without Pet Refuge, doubt my family and Major would be together today and I would not have been able to have my operation. Knowing Major would be safe and well, receiving expert care and support, meant I could stop worrying and focus on my wellbeing. I can’t thank Mayhew enough for what they did for us – and for Major – when we most needed help.”

When poodle crossbreed, Lilly, was spotted in the water in the Grand Union canal in Brent this June, it was only thanks to the quick response of two observant passers-by that she avoided drowning. Thankfully, Lilly was brought into us for assessment, vet treatment and to begin the long road to recovery from her ordeal. The team at Mayhew set about finding Lilly a loving and peaceful home environment with an experienced and trusted foster carer.

As Merryn Walker, Mayhew Head of Kennels, Dog Adoptions and Fostering explains, “Lilly’s is one of those horror stories you read about. We were so shocked by her condition. She was covered in putrid, muddy canal water and was understandably very nervous and traumatised by her experience. We won’t ever know whether she ended up in the canal by accident or if she was thrown into the water. Our foster carer really helped rebuild Lilly’s confidence so she could come back to life again.”

Volunteer foster carer, Stuart, explained, “Lilly was nervous when she first came to us and wary of strangers on the first few outings, even hiding behind my legs if someone approached. Considering what she’d probably been through I’m not surprised. But she soon grew in confidence when she realised she was safe and turned out to love attention, which is just as well. Lilly is such a little cutie that she was never short of admirers.”

Lilibet and her three newborn kittens were found under a tarpaulin in the freezing cold. Fortunately, a member of the public called us to help and we saved their lives. After a general health check and three weeks of recovering in our cattery, Lilibet’s family were collected by one of our amazing foster carers who could provide the home setting they badly needed and socialise the kittens at the critical time in their young lives.

Volunteer foster carer, Carolyn, explained, “The flexibility of fostering an adult cat appealed to us. But, since my husband Charlie and have both been working from home since lockdown, our lifestyle really suited rearing kittens too. It turned out to be easier than we thought. Lilibet is a fantastic mum and did a great job of looking after the kittens, so our job was mainly focused on looking after Lilibet so that she could do a good job of being a mum. The other key role we played was in socialising the kittens, which means handling them, playing with them, and getting them used to the sorts of stimuli that you’d typically find in the domestic environment, like the sound of the hoover, the radio, the hairdryer and so on.”

Our volunteer foster carers play such a vital role in the Mayhew family. Carolyn adds, “It’s been really nice getting to know the team, and everyone’s so friendly that as a volunteer you feel part of the team too.”

Following her operation in October and time in respite care, Alisa returned home safe and well in December 2022 – with Major overjoyed to greet her after his time being cared for at Mayhew.

In summer 2022, we launched a digital campaign to raise awareness of our Pet Refuge service. Our tongue-in-cheek film featured dogs and cats leaving reviews of their time at the Mayhew ‘hotel’, with touching statements about how nothing is as good as going home after a holiday. The campaign reached over three million people and and attracted 558 new supporters to Mayhew. Amazingly, 50% of the enquiries we received all year for Pet Refuge support arose from this campaign.

At Mayhew, we want to prevent dogs and cats from coming into the shelter environment and we work hard to keep them with loving owners whenever that is possible. We do this through our presence in the local community – understanding what we can do to relieve the pressure that can lead to families considering giving up their pets and delivering that help for free and without judgement.

We provide the essential supplies that might temporarily be out of reach, including dog and cat food, litter, bedding, leads, harnesses and toys, directly to those who need it or through community support services such as food banks or homeless shelters. The demand for this service has rocketed in response to the cost-of-living crisis, with the price of pet food shooting up by more than 20% in a year. We rose to meet this need, providing three times the number of care packages to struggling pet owners in 2022 than 2021.