Charity doubles rehoming of cats and dogs

An animal charity which has seen its pet rehoming numbers double said it was prompted to take action after feedback from potential owners on adoption challenges.

Oak Tree Animals' Charity, based near Carlisle, said adoptions of cats and dogs increased to 101 in the first four months of 2025, up from 50 in the same period last year.

It said it had overhauled the way it handles adoptions, with animals now rehomed in as little as one or two weeks rather than the average of three months.

Debbie Wicks, from the charity, said: "Unfortunately we were getting a bit of negative feedback from the community that it was too hard to try and adopt, so we've brought in speeded-up procedures."

She said new CEO, Matthew Notter who took the role about six months ago, carried out a restructure of staff and processes which resulted in quicker adoption procedures.

"Obviously animals are the priority so they have to be going to the right place and the right people, but we've been able to streamline that process," she said.

Ms Wicks added: "It's absolutely fantastic, it's what we're here for.

"It's maybe something where we'd lost our way slightly, but we're absolutely back on track."

She said the charity was also using more fosterers to keep pets in home environments.

"That speeds up the process because you're not dealing with animals who have become stressed in kennels.

"All these things add up to a better situation for the animal."

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