Battersea Dogs Home - a loving refuge for strays

The famous 'Temporary Home for Lost & Starving Dogs’ was established in 1860 by Ms. Mary Tealby and a committee of animal lovers, in Holloway, North London.

The organisation moved to its current home in Battersea, South London in 1871. It relies entirely on donations and is one of the UK's oldest animal welfare charities.

Battersea (as it has recently rebranded itself) was originally set up to help dogs living on the streets of London. Stray dogs and cats were very numerous and led short miserable lives. Rabies existed, which made people especially fearful and cruel towards stray dogs. The spaying of female pets was impossible, and the drowning of unwanted puppies and kittens was common.

During the Victorian era there was increasing concern about the suffering of animals. The true story of Greyfriars Bobby - the skye terrier - and the fictional story of Black Beauty the horse were very popular.

Mary Tealby, who had separated from her husband and moved to London in 1860, first resolved to found a "canine asylum" after the death of a starving dog she had attempted to nurse back to health. Struck by the plight of London's strays, she established the Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs in a stable in an Islington mews.

Tealby's project struggled in its first decade with financial problems, unscrupulous staff, and court cases brought by neighbours troubled by the noise. The home was also roundly mocked by elements of the press. The Times launched a scathing attack in 1860. While praising advances in animal welfare, it scorned the home as a step too far: "From the sublime to the ridiculous – from the reasonable inspirations of humanity to the fantastic exhibitions of ridiculous sentimentalism – there is but a single step... When we hear of a 'Home for Dogs', we venture to doubt if the originators and supporters of such an institution have not taken leave of their sober senses."

However, Mary Tealby had some other writers on her side, including Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy, and her ideas gradually gained acceptance. In 1885, Queen Victoria became the patron of the Dogs Home in its new location in Battersea. In 1883, the organisation also began accepting cats, when this became a condition of a major bequest from Mr Richard Barlow Kennett. In that first year Battersea took in a total of 48 stray cats in addition to thousands of dogs.

The noble endeavour has expanded over time, first embracing cats too, and then adding more premises. In 1979 Battersea acquired the old Bell Mead kennels in Old Windsor, and opened their third centre at Brands Hatch in 1999.

The original cattery, Whittington Lodge, is the world’s first purpose-built cattery, and still stands at the London centre today. It is a heritage listed building.

In its 160 years of history, Battersea has cared for more than 3 million animals.