Very caring staff, been to the dogs home quite a few times…read more Had a really lovely casket when we lost our pet for sweet memories of our beautiful border Collie.

It seems odd to be giving the Manchester Dogs home a star rating but I'll give them 5 just to…read morespread awareness and help stray dogs in Manchester get the walkies and loving new homes they need. If you love dogs, but can't keep one of your own or are looking for a new family dog then Manchester Dogs home definitely a place to consider. I'm in the first category, I live in a flat but love animals so recently joined the dogs home as a volunteer so I can walk the dogs when I'm free. Becoming a volunteer is easy, there is a section on their website called volunteers where you register. We were then invited to an informal day on-site where we were greeted by the friendly Julie who gave us an induction to becoming a volunteer and helping out at the home. Their approach is very relaxed and there is no obligation, you help out as much and as little as you can. There are a variety of things you can help with if dog walking isn't your thing either as they often need extra non-walking help at the home. Once you are registered you just sign in and then proceed to the kennels where the trained staff will hand you a dog on a lead. You can specify the size of dog as well, so if you're new to this, like we were, you can pick a small dog to begin or whatever dogs you're comfortable with. Walking the dogs is great, we had a little Jack Russell called Babs who was really happy to see us. Behind the dogs home is an open area full of grass, trails and paths to walk the dogs in. Little Babs obviously led the way... little tail wagging. The staff have always been really friendly and helpful with us, so if get involved today and visit the volunteer section on their website.

To be honest, I have never visited an animal shelter that would get less than five stars. To take…read moreon the responsibility of providing shelter and rescuing animals with very limited resources, that takes a big heart... although if you see how cute some of these animals are, who could resist?! Originally I had suggested to Mr. Snarky that we go play with some puppies to help relieve the stress caused by work. I remembered that there are some universities in the U.S. that are bring cute animals in right before exam time to help students relieve stress. So I thought it could work in this instance. Parking isn't a problem, but if you find all the parking on the road taken, we parked at Sainsbury's on our first visit (since we were going to pick up a couple of things after) and walked over. You could hear the dogs barking and there were a couple out in the play area. When we walked in, there were loads of pictures of animals that had been adopted. The lady behind the counter told us not to stick our fingers in the cages... so unfortunately no petting or cuddling with the animals. They have more dogs than cats (well at the time we went) and they seemed to be larger dogs. I only noticed this because we live in an apartment so we don't have a lot of room for a large dog, nor a yard of our own. However, there was one cutie who must have caught onto the 'no fingers in the cages' rule as she pushed herself up against the door to her pen so you didn't have to stick your fingers in the cage. Clever girl! And her eyes... oh those eyes. We went inside to look at the cats. At the time we thought they only had six cats as those were the only ones on display. There was a black kitten that was so loving and couldn't seem to get enough of Mr. Snarky. We had seen an ad for Suzie, a 3-year-old cat who had been at the shelter for about 13 months and couldn't seem to get adopted because she is a bit of a grouch. Mr. Snarky has a soft spot for these kinds of animals and was considering adopting her. We left and while we did not get the cuddle/play time I had been hoping for, we did succeed in starting a discussion about adopting a pet. On the next visit, one of the staff spent some time with us showing us the cats and talking about the characteristics of each one. Our original idea was to adopt Suzie, but also get a younger cat for some playfulness, but also knew that the staff would let us know what would be realistic. The staff member did tell us that Suzie wouldn't be good with another cat and the black cat that we were looking at had just been adopted. That's when the staff member told us about two pairs of siblings that were ready for adoption if we really wanted two cats. They were just being held in different areas because they didn't have enough room in that particular room. So we took a look at the first pair... two months old! The sisters (one black and one white) were curled up together in the midst of other cats pawing and meowing at us. There is a male cat (not sure if he has been adopted yet) but he is a brilliant, loving ball of fur and we nearly adopted him... you should go visit him. However, I may have fallen in love with the little white mustache on the black kitten of the pair. We then went upstairs to visit a brother and sister duo that were absolutely full of energy and if you have a fly problem, they will take care of it! The staff member did explain details about both sets of kittens so we could understand what we were getting into and make the best decision. Ultimately we went with the two-month old kittens. They chipped the kittens, fed them a bit of chicken, and filled out the paperwork for us. We also picked out some collars and tags which they engrave with your address and phone number... although these two are far too small to be wearing anything like that. The staff were so helpful and answered our questions and told us that the kittens have had their first set of vaccines and gave us a voucher to get them speyed at six months at their vet. They put all of their paperwork and records in a folder for safe keeping and also put a piece of the bedding that the kittens were sleeping on in the kennel to help with the transport. They also said they would give us a call in a week or two to see how things are going and told us to ring them or stop in if we have any questions or concerns. The kittens are now exploring their new home... don't worry, I will post some pictures :) You should definitely go and visit and they are in need of donations (bedding, food, money, etc.) and also volunteers to walk dogs.

Everything about this place is brilliant. We recently adopted our dog from here and while we would…read morehave fallen in love with Walter had he been in any of the rescue centres in the area the facility here is by far the best of all the ones we went to. All the dogs have large kennels, in a big bright room with a little agility area and plenty of room to get to meet your new family member! There were tonnes of staff around and all the dogs look well cared for, we only wish we could have adopted more. They also offer loads of support after adoption, with a call from the vetinary nurse to check on how he was settling in. 10/10 adopt don't shop

A wonderful community service, that is terribly busy and does fabulous work rescuing and finding…read morenew caring homes for cats and kittens. They have an Aladdin's cave of a charity/vintage store on the ground floor. Feline Adoptions and viewings happen on Saturday afternoons, call ahead to get details. I adopted Fiji ( see my pics) an adorable 15 week old kitten, jet black and really affectionate, we've enjoyed becoming friends and she is a great addition to my home.

Donkey Sanctuary For the Win! People who know me know that I like 3 things in life - Good food,…read morebetter beer and wildlife! Donkeys especially are pretty cool and with us saving the nearby otter sanctuary for another day, my wife and her friend (plus 2 babies) thought we'd nip out and check it out! Getting there it felt like we were heading to some sort of urban donkey home as it's right in the middle of the Reddish terraced housing area, but all of a sudden 30 secs later you end up in the middle of the countryside and a kind of farm like entrance upon arrival. In all honesty, Sunday probably wasn't the best day to go as it was pretty quiet and the donkeys were spending their day chilling out as opposed to being on display for a good petting but they did have 2 in Souffle and Cocoa that you could feed and give a good mane stoking to. We were also shown the back donkey paddocks where there were 24 of them out sunbathing and living the life. All the staff were pretty friendly, knowledgable and happy to show us around which is great as it's free entry too. We were told to check out their website for details of their open days and activity sessions which are on throughout the summer - highly recommended if you have kids or want to spend an hour with nature.

bring enjoyment and pleasure into the lives of children with special needs and disabilities and to…read moregive them the satisfaction that comes with the achievement of learning riding skills.Riding skills are taught by qualified riding instructors using the donkey because of its placid nature. In addition, children are encouraged to groom and care for the donkeys. its so clean and a great place for children with special needs and thier siblings it only relies on donations my daughter loved it and we have adoped a donkey

A great company and very nice people as well as having great dog runs, we have 2 large dogs; oscar…read moreand alfie and they needed more room and we may have more, so needed a large run and not just a kennel. This gives them plenty of room as they are BIG dogs and we are happy to leave them if w go out as they can move around in comfort. Good service and installation was quick and efficient. Would recommend 100%

From the owner: Preston Animal Housing manufacture, supply and install outdoor animal enclosures for domestic pets,…read moreprofessional breeders, animal rescue shelters & charities, boarding kennels & catteries, zoos and vets.

Freshfields Animal Rescue Centre is a lovely place. It's out in the middle of nowhere and has a…read morepeaceful atmosphere to it. The staff are mainly volunteers who really love what they do and take pride in looking after the animals and sending them to suitable homes. A couple of our family dogs have come from here and they have always been delighted to hear from us when we have kept in touch after taking the dog home. They often hold fundraiser events so look out for these, and go and help them raise some money for this very good cause.

Easterleigh is an independent animal sanctuary which takes in abandoned and unwanted animals, it is…read morea registered charity and relies totally on donations and fund-raising to continue its work. Unlike many rescue centres Easterleigh does not restrict itself just to dogs, cats and other small pets but also has horses and even on occasion pigs, chickens and geese! They also stress that they never have a healthy animal put to sleep. It is a big barn of a place and is very relaxed, you can just walk around unaccompanied to look at the animals and if you are interested in adopting one you can see a member of staff who'll talk you through the whole procedure. If you would like to adopt an animal there is a mandatory home visit just to check that the home is suitable for the particular animal chosen. It is also worth noting that in the case of tenants they require some form of consent from the landlord of the property to confirm that pets are allowed at the property. They ask for a donation upon adoption which was £50 for a cat when I visited. So, if you're considering a cat or a dog (or even a pig!) as an addition to to your family why not check out Easterleigh? It is far better than buying an animal from a breeder or puppy farm and you'll be giving some little critter who's down on its luck a second chance at a happy life, not to mention all the joy it will bring into your own life :-)

13 years ago we adopted a collie cross named Meg. She has been the best dog in the the world. She…read moresadly past away 3 weeks before xmas from cancer. She was about 15, and still as strong as an ox except for the cancer. We are heartbroken. Meggy touched hundreds of lives and made thousands smile. We had her from Eaterleigh. Thank you very much for giving us Meggy. Please support them.