Our History
As you would expect of an organisation that has been around for nearly 150 years, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is steeped in history and has seen some exciting changes. Here are some important dates in the history of the UK's oldest and most famous animal rescue centre.
1860 - 1895
1860 - The Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs is established by Mrs Mary Tealby, in Holloway, North London.
1862 - Charles Dickens pens an article called Two Dog Shows in his newspaper in support of the new Home.
1871 - The Temporary Home moves to Battersea where it has remained ever since
1883 - Battersea starts taking in cats
1895 - The Home used 32 tonnes of biscuits, 420 gallons of milk and receives 36,873 visitors
1898 - 1914
1898 - Due to a rabies epidemic in London, the Duke and Duchess of Portland open the Home's first country site in Hackbridge, Surrey
1904 - The Home opens on Sundays
1909 - Two motor vans and six horse-drawn vans are hired to collect the strays of London
1911 - The Home starts collecting stray dogs from London police stations
1914 - 100 sledge dogs are housed at the Hackbridge site, in preparation for Ernest Shackleton's second Antarctic Expedition
1918 - 1979
1918 - Airedale Jack, a Battersea dog trained at the War Dog School, dies in France on the front line after delivering a vital plea for reinforcements. His batallion is saved and Jack receives a posthumous VC.
1934 - The country site at Hackbridge is sold and Battersea opens a new site in Bow, East London
1956 - Queen Elizabeth II becomes our patron
1960 - Battersea celebrates its centenary
1970 - Beaufort Kennels at Battersea is opened by the Duchess of Beaufort
1979 - Battersea acquired Bell Mead Kennels, Old Windsor
1984 - 1998
1984 - Prince Michael of Kent becomes President of the Home and the first full time veterinary surgeon is employed. 20,000 dogs and 870 cats arrive.
1986 - A new kennel complex is opened at Bell Mead Kennels by Her Majesty The Queen
1990 - Battersea introduces microchipping
1991 - Tealby Kennels is opened by Her Majesty The Queen. The Home introduces dog behavioural assessments.
1995 - Battersea holds the first Annual Reunion in Battersea Park. The Rehabilitation Department is born. 9,000 dogs and 1, 602 cats arrive.
1998 - The BBC arrives to start filming a documentary series.
2000 - 2009
2000 - The BBC returns to film the 3rd series. The Lost Dogs & Cats Line is launched
2002 - We relaunch our website
2004 - Red the Lurcher's night-time antics become world famous when he is caught on camera regularly escaping his kennel and liberating his canine chums for midnight feasting
2005 - We change our name to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and introduce a new logo
2007 - The BBC arrives again for a new series, Animal Rescue Live
2008 - We relaunch our website again
2009 - We start work on our brand new cattery at our London site
