We decided to create adoptable.co.uk to help find new homes for unwanted pets after visiting to a local rescue centre. We sat chatting in the open-plan reception area for about 45 minutes, during which time three people telephoned and two people walked in off the street, all trying to find a home for a cat or dog they couldn’t keep any more. Sadly, the centre was totally full of dogs waiting to be adopted and the volunteer staff didn’t know of any other local centres with spaces.
The rescue centre manager explained that the centre operated at close to full capacity all year round, and that there were more unwanted pets coming in from local councils, pounds, the police and private pet owners than they could ever hope to satisfy. At that particular time, the number of people trying to find a new home for their pets had skyrocketed but the number of people adopting had fallen, largely due to the economy.
The rescue centre leaned heavily on the help provided by volunteer temporary foster carers, who provided short-term emergency accommodation for unwanted pets prior to rehoming them, but they were all ‘fully booked’, with new carers incredibly hard to come by. It was a real eye-opener for us.
Want to adopt a homeless cat?
Helping homeless and unwanted pets
In simple terms, we want to create a place where potential adopters can find pets that need adopting and where owners can advertise pets that are in need of a new home. Private individuals and pet rescue groups can advertise pets which need to find new homes, and the service is totally free to use.
We also want to provide a place where people can find unwanted pets suitable for adoption in their local area, particularly those available from smaller groups and private individuals who might not otherwise know where to advertise pets for adoption. We want to make it as easy as possible for potential adopters to find their ideal pet and get in touch with its keepers-owners. We don’t and can’t vet people who list their pets on Adoptable, nor the people who are interested in adopting a pet – that’s not what we’re here for.
We don’t expect Adoptable to change the world, or put an end to homeless pets, we just want to at least do our bit to help.
Who is behind Adoptable.co.uk?
Adoptable.co.uk is the ‘pet’ project of a small group of animal lovers who also happen to be website designers. Our names are not important, because the site isn’t here for us, but for the pets it features. We are a voluntary group, not a charity, and we run the site on that basis. All we want to do is help improve the lives of unwanted pets, regardless of why they need a new home.
