WE went behind the scenes at an animal home ahead of its upcoming open day as it looks to raise funds and awareness to the increasing number of unwanted animals..

The Danaher Animal Shelter, in Wethersfield, works in partnership with RSPCA and is currently home to 166 animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, budgies, guinea pigs and mice.

Last year, the rescue rehomed a huge 839 animals and hopes to continue giving their animals a second chance at a loving family.

Danaher has a huge site, featuring a reception and pet shop, offering a small stock of pet food, toys, and bedding, with all profits going back to the animals.

It also has 67 dog kennels, ten rabbit pens, 36 cat pens, and plenty of outside areas.

The home receives many generous, public donations in the form of blankets, towels, beds, and newspapers, all stored in an onsite barn.

Danaher is also donated different types of animal food by local supermarkets and Pets at Home in Braintree and Sudbury.

The rescue is run by volunteers who care for all animals onsite, taking dogs for walks and spending one to one time in a donated caravan, that volunteers converted to be dog friendly, onsite.

Danaher also has a theatre room onsite and employs a veterinary nurse to perform in house operations, as well as a blood machine, X Ray, and consultant room.

Operational supervisor Craig Horsler said:  “We used to take all our poorly animals to a local vet, but the yearly bills were coming to something like £100,000.

“Since ordering in our own medication and having a vet onsite, we’ve saved lots of money and have made the experience easier for the animals."

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, Danaher decided to make their services appointment only and have fenced off parts of the site.

“We started to find during Covid that families were coming and treating it as a sort of day out," Craig said.

“It wasn’t fair to the animals – they’re hoping to be taken home.

Members of the public can now call or visit reception to book an appointment or fill out an online interest from.

Craig said: “We’re getting a hell of a lot of phone calls from people that want to rehome their animals.

“We get five or six calls a day from people that want us to take their cats, kittens, puppies.

“I’ve been here 17 years, and this year has been the worst year for puppies – we’ve had so many come through the door.

“If we’ve got space we will help and if we can’t we’ll give them some other numbers.

“We have to prioritise the main RSPCA and their branches."

Danaher will host a public open day on September 1, hoping to raise money for the rescue and make more people aware of the growing numbers of unwanted pets.

The event will see Alpacas in the onsite paddocks, where children and families will be able to feed and pet them, as well as cake, tea and coffee, burgers, ice cream and vegan refreshments.

Certain parts of the site will be open for the public to take a walk around.

“A lot of our dogs are quite nervous because of things they’ve been through but we’re hoping to allow some of our more social dogs to meet the visitors with our volunteers,” Craig said.

Danaher is also currently holding a raffled, with the winners being drawn on September 2.

The sponsored first prize of a whopping £500 has been donated by a local business, with other prizes including a spa day, a holiday cottage in Norfolk, and access to rented fields for dog walking.

Raffle tickets can be purchased for £1 each on Danaher’s website, over the phone, or at reception during the open day event.

Danaher’s open day will start at 11am, offering an exciting opportunity for families, animal lovers, and community members to come together and support a great cause while enjoying a fun-filled day.

For more information, visit danaheranimalhome.org.uk