History
Formerly the 'Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs', it was established in Holloway in 1860 by Mary Tealby. The home moved to Battersea in 1871 opposite Battersea Park and has a view of the iconic Battersea Power Station.
In 1885, Queen Victoria became Patron of the home, and it has remained under Royal Patronage ever since. Queen Elizabeth II is the current Patron, and Prince Michael of Kent is the President.
In 2002, the name was changed from 'The Battersea Dogs Home' to 'The Battersea Dogs and Cats Home' (cats were first admitted in 1883).
To mark its 150th anniversary in 2010, the Royal Mail released a set of stamps featuring a series of dogs and cats that had been adopted by staff. It has also launched a commemorative book "A Home Of Their Own" which charts the history of the Home. This includes a look at the notables who have adopted animals, such as Elton John, who credited his pet, Thomas, with helping him through a rough period. Through 2011 and 2012, Battersea implemented the "Staffies ~ They're Softer Than You Think" campaign to educate the public about the positive attributes of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Read more about this topic: Battersea Dogs And Cats Home
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“History has neither the venerableness of antiquity, nor the freshness of the modern. It does as if it would go to the beginning of things, which natural history might with reason assume to do; but consider the Universal History, and then tell us,—when did burdock and plantain sprout first?”
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