Animal Rescue with Marion Garnett
Dedicated animal expert MARION GARNETT, founder of the Ealing Animal Charities Fair continues her column
ONE of the best things about visiting the National Animal Welfare Trust (NAWT) rehoming centre on a frosty day is seeing the dogs in their colourful pyjamas and coats. If you want cheering up, it’s better than any therapy session. They look both cute and ridiculous.
Today, not everyone is dressed up. Zen is having to make do with wearing his birthday suit as he takes his pyjamas off and eats them whereas Marnie is looking gorgeous in her blue starry number.
Marnie is a prime example of NAWT’s principle “We never stop caring”. In March 2013, she arrived at the Watford rehoming centre from a dog pound in Wales. It only took a month for her to be homed but, unfortunately, last year she was returned in October, as her owner had become too ill to look after her.
Like many reputable animal rehoming centres, once an animal has been in their care, NAWT will take them back at any point in the rest of their life, if their new owner becomes unable to look after them. Marnie is an affectionate girl who enjoys cuddles.
Meanwhile, going back to Zen, if you’re an experienced owner with a soft spot for a solid Staffie Cross who, although he has an unfortunate taste in pyjamas, is a firm favourite at the centre, have a think about Zen. He loves agility, knows lots of commands and would benefit from further training. To help keep him occupied he’s been given one of the largest pens at the centre – renamed Zen’s Den.
This means that, when you go to the centre, he’s facing you near the entrance.
And that’s another great aspect of visiting the centre – because NAWT has implemented the Open Paw programme of looking after their animals, when you visit the dogs, you are encouraged to interact with them by feeding them kibble from the pot outside their pen.
But be warned – if you can’t resist visiting all the dogs, this can take some time.
If you can home Marnie or Zen or would like to visit the centre, it’s at Tylers Way, Watford by pass. You can meet the manager of the centre, Jackie De Friez, at the Ealing Animal Charities Fair (ea ling animals fair. london) where she will be running the NAWT stall.
The fair takes place on Satur-