We’ve been caring for dogs and cats for over 165 years. Thanks to our supporters, we’ve helped over 3 million animals in the UK and around the world, giving them the second chances they deserve.
1860 - Early Beginnings
Mary Tealby’s 'Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs’ opens in a disused stable yard in Holloway, North London.
1862 – Our first famous supporter
The author, Charles Dickens, writes an article in his newspaper called ‘Two Dog Shows’ in support of ‘The Home’ at a time when the mainstream press ridiculed it.
1872 – Noise complaints and relocation
After receiving noise complaints from neighbours, ’The Home’ is moved to its current location in South West London and becomes known as Battersea Dogs Home.
1883 – Caring for cats
Thanks to a generous donation, we start to provide care for our first feline residents.
1885 – Queen Victoria becomes our first Royal Patron
Queen Victoria becomes our Patron, two years after her son rehomed a Battersea dog named Skippy.
1907 – Whittington Lodge
We open our second purpose-built cattery, Whittington Lodge.
1914 – Support for aspiring pet owners
Until 1987, people had to pay for a dog licence to have a pet, so we set up a special fund to support those who couldn’t afford them.
1939 – 1945 – World War II
Multiple bombs hit our London centre during World War II. Our then secretary at the time, E.L. Healey-Tutt, slept in a paint shed to care for the animals on site.
1956 – Elizabeth II becomes our Royal Patron
Like her great-great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II becomes our Patron.
1967 – Little Dog Lost
We release a film to raise awareness about the importance of dog collars. The film, 'Little Dog Lost’, is available free of charge to schools and charitable groups.
1970 – Our new clinic opens
The opening of a new veterinary clinic allows us to provide expert care for 9,036 dogs and 417 cats in a year.
1979 – Our Old Windsor centre opens
We purchase our second centre, 'Old Windsor' to care for even more dogs and cats.
1983 – 2.5 million animals cared for
We reach a special milestone by caring for a stray dog called Lucky.
1998 – Support for owners who have lost their pet
We launch ‘The Lost Dogs and Cats Line’ to reconnect thousands of lost pets with their owners.
1999 – Our Brands Hatch centre opens
Our third centre, Brands Hatch, opens in Kent to help more dogs and cats in need.
2001 – 2009 – More volunteers than ever
By the end of the 2000s, Battersea has as many volunteers as staff. We also start recruiting foster carers to support our animals outside of the kennels and catteries.
2002 – A change of name
After years of being known as ‘Battersea Dogs Home’, we change our name to 'Battersea Dogs & Cats Home' to recognise our feline residents.
2012 – For the Love of Dogs launches
Battersea’s profile reaches homes across the country through the launch of the ITV multi-award winning show, Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs.
2016 – Our new veterinary hospital opens
We open our new state-of-the-art veterinary hospital and office facilities at our London centre.
2017 – Campaigning to help more dogs and cats
We broaden our work by campaigning for dogs and cats to prevent the causes of poor animal welfare.
2018 – Battersea Academy
We launch Battersea Academy to share our knowledge and experience with people working in dog and cat rescues across the UK and around the world.
2018 –We rebrand to ‘Battersea’
To reflect the breadth of our work for dogs and cats in the UK and around the world, we change our name once again, this time to ‘Battersea’.
2022 – Battersea has a new Royal Patron
Queen Camilla becomes Battersea's Patron following the death of Elizabeth II.
