There's one word that make most Christ Church students jump for joy: Puppy Day. Puppy Day is an excuse to cuddle cute, tiny labrador puppies, as well as raise money for a worthwhile cause. Students donate £1 for 5 mins in the Puppy Room and all proceeds go to TAG Pet Rescue.
TAG Pet Rescue exists to care for and rehome vulnerable animals. They don’t receive government funding so rely on donations, income from their shops and the tireless work of volunteers to keep the centre going; it’s a true labour of love. Founded in 1988, TAG has become one of the largest animal charities in Thanet.
TAG started in the homes of the charity's founders, however its current home, the TAG Pet Rescue Sanctuary, opened in 2002 after it became clear that more space was needed. Legacies, donations and fundraising events helped make the sanctuary what it is today; a peaceful, safe haven for all of the amazing animals it homes.
Our students have managed to raise over £1742 for TAG Pet Rescue since we started our Puppy Days so we decided to take a trip to see where the money goes.
The dogs live in a separate sanctuary to the cats and small animals. On this occasion, we visited the cat and small animal sanctuary. We went around, explored the rescue centre and met TAG's small animals while their knowledgable carer, Julie, told us about all the amazing work TAG does to protect these animals. From rats to rabbits, Tag Pet Rescue try and find all small creatures their ideal home.
We started off our visit meeting the fluffy bunnies.
Rabbits are very social animals and are paired together so they don't get lonely. TAG prefers to rehome them in pairs so they always have company. They're given plenty of safe space to run and jump, are spayed or neutered and inoculated against myxomatosis, a highly infectuous and sometimes fatal viral disease.
TAG take in some animals for life, not just those to be rehomed, including ferrel cats. These cats are so used to living in the wild on their own, that they hate humans and will do anything they can to avoid them. Instead, they live safely and comfortably in TAG's ferrel cat sanctuary, with volunteers who know how to look after them according to their specific needs.
Can you spot two adorable ferrel cats in this photo? One's black and the other is black, white and ginger.
So many people love cats yet more and more are ending up in shelters. All of TAG's cats ready to be rehoused live in one specific large enclosure and have their own separate spaces so they feel safe and secure. The cats are neutered/ spayed and treated for fleas and worms. Look at all of the beautiful cats looking for new families- we were so close to bringing home a new furry friend of our own!
Reptiles, budgies and small animals like rats are all housed in their own cabin. With plenty of space to roam, it's the perfect home for them after being rescued.
Look at how magnificent the bearded dragons are! Julie even held one so we could look at it more closely.
Not everyone is a fan of rats- but we thought this one was so adorable.
Did you know that budgies are actually very badly beaved? That is why there are so many budgies at TAG- some owners couldn't cope with their behaviour. They are in safe hands now.
As mother cats can sometimes be very over-protective, some of TAG's mother cats and kittens are kept in a separate enclosure. We couldn't see them but were assured that they are so adorable.
Interested in finding out more? Visit Tag Pet Rescue's website to find out more about what TAG does, the animals they currently look after and how to donate and adopt.
