Animal Friends

This National Dog Day, it’s all about our canine companions, and the unconditional love they share with us, not just today, but every day – even if they don’t always have the greatest ways of showing it (who doesn’t love getting woken up by a wet snoot every morning?). Happy National Dog Day, from all of us here at Animal Friends, both human and canine! 🥰🐶

The Pet Abduction Act officially comes into force TODAY! 👏👏 Pet theft has never been taken seriously enough; our pets have always been regarded as just 'property' by the law, rather than part of the family. We are so pleased this has now finally changed. Shocking research from 2020 revealed that only 2% of dog theft crime resulted in a criminal charge, with many people being left without answers on what happened to their furry family member. 😢 The new law means that taking a cat, or detaining a dog, is now its own criminal offence which could result in up to five years in prison. With pet theft now becoming its own criminal offence, this means that criminals may be deterred from stealing a beloved pet and police forces can pursue investigations more meaningfully, giving more families the chance of being reunited with their furry loved ones. ❤️ This is a huge step forward for protecting our furry friends. You can find more information on how to help keep your pet safe, here: https://lnkd.in/gp4SyC9U Animal Friends customers can also add their pet's microchip number to their policy for safekeeping and easy access. #PetAbductionAct #PetTheft #ProtectOurPets #CreatingaBetterLifeForEveryAnimal

Back in June we were delighted to attend (and sponsor, for the third year in a row!) Dogstival, a fabulous festival of fun for pooches and their ‘pawrents’! We caught up with Becky Blanchard (far-right in the below pic!), who was part of the team of canine-loving colleagues on the Animal Friends stand, to find out what it was like attending her first ever pet-tastic event, and of course, meeting and interacting with plenty of pups! “Dogstival was the first event that I have attended in my eight years working at Animal Friends and the atmosphere was incredible; I loved seeing all the dogs having the absolute time of their lives! I also enjoyed meeting colleagues that work in different departments at Animal Friends who I wouldn’t necessarily get a chance to interact with otherwise. The highlights of the event for me were not only being able to support two very deserving animal charities (Hawk Conservancy Trust and The Shark Trust), but also seeing so many different breeds of dogs, who were all so happy and loving! Dogstival was the perfect mix of work and doing something that makes me happy; it was truly an unforgettable experience.” We love getting our colleagues involved in our events and giving our volunteers the opportunity to show their passion for the pets we protect, and celebrate everything that makes us unique. #LifeAtAnimalFriends

Mark your calendars for this time next week, when the long-awaited new season of our 'A Walk In The Park' podcast launches! 🎤📣 Featuring extra special guests from beloved UK animal and wildlife charities, top experts in the fields of all things pet care, and more, Season Three is not one you'll want to miss 👀 You can catch up on all the episodes from our last season, right here: https://lnkd.in/e2j9tADC #AWalkInThePark #Podcast #AnimalFriendsPodcast

It’s awards season once again here at Animal Friends, and we recently had the pleasure of announcing the very worthy winners of our Quarter 2 Colleague Awards! We were delighted to see so many colleagues receive heartfelt nominations from their teammates, and as always, choosing the winners was no easy feat for our Colleague Engagement Champions… Please join us in a round of ‘appaws’ for our Colleague of the Quarter (Q2), Olivia Wright (Claims Team Leader), our Rising Star of the Quarter (Q2), Zak Hamblin (Complaints Investigator), and our Team of the Quarter (Q2), the Customer Hub Team! It was a joy to hear all about how you’ve supported your colleagues, smashed your goals and achieved great things this quarter – keep up the fantastic work! Join us in just a few short months for even more nominations, celebrations, and congratulations, in Quarter 3. #LifeAtAnimalFriends

Big announcement 👀 We're thrilled to be sponsoring the Fun Dog Show this year at DogFest, Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd September, at the stunning Knebworth House 🥳🐶 The friendly competitions will take place on both days and are open to every pooch! 🏅 Entry is just £3 per class, and you can purchase entry in advance when booking your tickets to DogFest: https://lnkd.in/gcMu3jie Our stand will be there all weekend, ready for lots of fun, photos and freebies 🎁 We can't wait to see you next month, Stevenage!

Our 'Tails of UK Wildlife' campaign is all about how the future of UK wildlife depends on us all coming together and doing our bit to protect them. Here are the chosen UK wildlife charities we're suppawting as part of this: 🦇 Bat Conservation Trust 🏥 Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital 🦔 British Hedgehog Preservation Society 🐛 Buglife 🦅 Hawk Conservancy Trust 🌿 Project Seagrass 🦈 The Shark Trust 🦌 Tir Natur 🌳 Trees for Life 🦫 Wild North Trust Spanning land, sea and air, these 10 incredible charities each focus on a different part of our wonderful UK wildlife; from animals and critters of all shapes and sizes, to the habitats they call home. Head over to this page to meet them all and find out about their critical work: https://lnkd.in/eKFMGyty #TailsofUKWildlife #CreatingaBetterLifeForEveryAnimal #BeTheDifference

Celebrating a huge win for animal welfare this week 🎉 We are delighted that, after many years of waiting, the Glue Traps (Offences) Act finally came into force yesterday! This important law means that it is now ILLEGAL for the public to use glue traps to capture mice and rats in England without a license in exceptional circumstances. These traps cause immense pain and distress to the animals as they attempt to escape from the trap, and can also end up harming other animals such as birds, bats, and cats who accidentally get caught in the glue. 😢 We believe in a better life for every animal, no matter how small, and hope that this move to more humane methods will help to save the lives of many mice and rats. 🐭🐀 Congratulations to all the passionate and dedicated individuals and organisations who fought to make this ban possible. https://lnkd.in/eMZZvk4x

It’s International Friendship Day (woohoo!) and at Animal Friends, we’re taking the opportunity to celebrate not only the important bonds we share with our pets, but also the bonds our pets share with each other (whether they’re two peas in a pod, or more unlikely friends!). Aren’t pooch pals Goose, Ruger, Pepper, Maggie, and Willow just the pawfect picture of friendship? Happy International Friendship Day from all of us here at Animal Friends!

It's nearly time for the 'mane' event; take a look at what our podcast crew has been up to 🎙️🐴 We were super excited to film Season Three of our 'A Walk in the Park' podcast with The Mare and Foal Sanctuary, and the buzz has hit the news! https://lnkd.in/ef2ArTJz We simply can't wait for the episode to launch next month 🤩