New pet therapy classroom plan to help pet rescue survive

Theresa Appleton owns Whiskers and Wags in the New Market Hall in Louth, a pet supplies shop but also rescue and rehome small animals, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs and birds, and over the past two years, Whiskers and Wags have rehomed over 40 small animals.

But the shop is currently struggling due to the current economic situation, and now Whiskers and Wags have had to stop taking in rescue animals because there are not enough funds to pay for any vets fees.

Theresa explained: “Just last week we had someone ask us to rehome seven guinea pigs but two of them were pregnant, and one of the babies was really poorly and the vet said it would be £35-£40 to put him to sleep – and we didn’t have the funds to cover it so the poor thing died in my hands.

"So we’ve had to stop rescuing animals for now in case we end up having vets bills to pay – we just can’t afford them at the moment.

“We’ve now hit rock bottom and desperately trying to find a way turn things around.”

This is where Theresa hit upon an idea – she has two therapy rabbits and after she was told the upstairs room at their store would make a great classroom, Theresa and the team now have a plan to transform their upstairs room into an educational classroom to offer a sensory therapy room for people with special needs to spend time with their therapy animals.

To do this, they will need to apply for a special license and are now needing to raise around £500, not only to pay for the license but to keep their business afloat.

Theresa also wants to start offering an “educational hour” where parents and their your children who are looking to rehome an animal can spend time learning about different pets, their needs, and costs before deciding to buy or rescue one.

This will not only teach children about the responsibilities of caring for an animal, but may help to reduce the number of animals needing rehoming along the way.

"We are getting to the point where without some help we will be forced to close our doors for good, and this is something that we are fighting to save,” Theresa added.

"”I’ve put my heart and soul into this business and I don’t want to have to let it go.”

To make a donation to help keep Whiskers and Wags going and boost their mission to transform their upstairs area, you can make a donation via their JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/whiskersandwagsanimalfund?utm_term=zeA2k8MRx

Find out more about Whiskers and Wags at the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Whiskers-and-wags-Louth-109056565193171