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Battersea stars on BBC Breakfast News
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home featured on BBC Breakfast News on 24 June 2010, with resident Betty the Staffordshire Bull Terrier stealing the show.
- Date:
- 25 June 2010
- Source:
- Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
The programme focused on a new book about Battersea called A Home of Their Own: 150 Years Of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home which was published yesterday. Author Garry Jenkins appeared on the programme alongside Head Veterinary Surgeon Shaun Opperman.
The duo were accompanied by Betty, a five to seven year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier who came into the Home as a stray in April. Betty was praised as “a natural” by BBC presenter Sian Williams during her TV debut.
View Betty’s profile. If you think you could offer Betty a home, please contact our rehoming team on 020 7627 9234 or rehoming@battersea.org.uk.
On the programme Shaun explained how Staffordshire Bull Terriers like Betty and staffy crosses account for 43% of all dogs in Battersea, and how the breed make friendly and loving pets.
Shaun and Garry discussed the new book, talking about the history of the Home, some of the famous four-legged residents, and Battersea’s rehoming policies. Viewers also heard about the Home’s open intake policy, which means Battersea never turns away a dog or cat in need of its help, regardless of the animal’s breed, behaviour or health.
A Home of Their Own follows the changes at the Home since 1860. When it was first established, Victorian London had little time for the canine strays that wandered its grimy streets; homeless dogs found on the pavement were routinely destroyed. During its early years the Home was threatened by financial crisis, threats of eviction and legal action by neighbours upset by the constant barking. Then came rabies epidemics, two World Wars and the Blitz. And yet the Home not only survived, it thrived.
The book also documents the Home’s wide range of supporters through the years, from Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens to modern day icons like Kevin Spacey, Simon Cowell and Elton John.
A Home of Their Own: 150 Years Of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is published by Bantam Press and is available in Battersea’s online shop.
