PDSA does sterling work for animals
ON behalf of vet charity PDSA, which has a busy pet hospital in Trident Park, Cardiff, I would like to say a huge thank-you to all local players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
We have received fantastic funding support from players this year, which is particularly special as we celebrate 100 years of saving pets and changing lives. It was on November 17, 1917, that the charity’s founder, Maria Dickin, first set up a dispensary for sick animals of the poor in London’s East End. Over the following years our work spread in response to public demand and PDSA now operates 48 pet hospitals across the UK, supported by a national chain of around 120 charity shops, including one in Cowbridge Road, Cardiff, and a dedicated army of volunteers.
During our centenary year, funding from players is helping us deliver projects that prevent illness and disease, as well as educate pet owners and children on how to care for animals.
So far this year we’ve:
■ Educated more than 40,000 schoolchildren through our PetWise schools programme, which promotes animal welfare;
■ Completed 191 school visits, equipping the next generation of pet owners with the skills they need to provide the five welfare needs for pets to be happy and healthy;
■ Carried out more than 1,200 free PetWise MoTs on dogs through our PetCheck tour (averaging 21 pets a day) across 58 separate events;
■ Equipped 1,705 pet owners and visitors with general pet health advice through our PetCheck tour;
Data from our 2018 PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report shows that only 38% of pet owners are familiar with the Animal Welfare Acts, which outline everything pets need to lead healthy and happy lives. Thanks to the national scale of our work, we are ideally placed to be able to support and educate not only our own clients, but also the wider petowning public on all aspects of pet wellbeing.
During the second half of our centenary year, and thanks to funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, we will unveil a new PetWise on Tour vehicle, create an online digital pet health resource providing a wealth of information for pet owners, and further develop our PetWise schools scheme to celebrate those schools which go one step further at championing pet welfare among their students.
So much has already been achieved due to the fantastic support we’ve received thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery; but there is still much more to be done. 2018 marks a very special year for PDSA, and these projects help us to further our mission for a lifetime of wellbeing for every pet, while ensuring a long-term legacy that will support thousands of pet owners in different ways.