Paws and Crafts with Bristol Animal Rescue Centre
/Every year at Auroch Digital, our team has one volunteer day that they can spend however they’d like, whether that’s volunteering for a local charity or at an event.
This year several members of our senior management team used their volunteering day to help out at the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre!
What is BARC?
Bristol Animal Rescue Centre or BARC is a registered charity that aims to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome vulnerable animals in the Bristol area.
Each year, they provide essential services such as emergency medical treatment, behavioural training, and safe shelter for countless animals in need and they care for thousands of sick, injured and stray animals every year.
Since the opening of the “The Bristol Home for Lost and Starving Dogs” in 1887, Bristol Animal Rescue Centre has been providing food, shelter and care for animals in need and it all started with a puppy on a snowy Winter’s evening.
They have also expanded the list of animals they care for to include dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, wildlife, and more!
To help the centre continue to support injured or abandoned animals, you can donate here! And here are some of the animals who are currently looking for a new home:
But they can only care for all of these animals thanks to the help of a dedicated team of volunteers, which is where the Herd came in.
What did we do as Volunteers?
This year, the senior management team from Auroch Digital descended on Bristol Animal Rescue Centre armed with bags of old clothes, cardboard boxes, and treats for all of the animals.
Our first step was to greet all the current residents living in the shelter, and there was no shortage of feline friends to meet.
Nina Adams (Studio Director of Auroch Digital) stroking loki.
Then it was time to get to work!
We started by shredding our old T-shirts into long strips of fabric that would be used to make our tug toys. Then we knotted them together and began interweaving the strips to make them tough and durable before tying them off.
Shelters can be quite scary as they’re loud and confusing. So, toys like these tuggers are a great distraction and perfect for chewing on!
Nina Adams (Studio Director of Auroch Digital) is so proud of her creation!
We also had the opportunity to cut up some old cardboard boxes to create cat scratchers for some of the cats in residence! These are great enrichment for the cats and allow them to maintain their claws.
Creating our DIY Cat SCratchers
How to make your own pet toys!
If you want to try your hand at creating some new enrichment toys for your pets and help the environment at the same time, the full instructions for both are below as well as video demonstrations!
DIY Dog Tugger Toys
Cut 4 lengths of fleece fabric. About 2” wide and 45” long.
Tie a regular overhand knot at one end, leaving a few inches of fabric as a tail. Pull the knot tight.
Tie your square knots:
Open your 4 strips into a plus sign shape.
Fold the top strip towards the bottom, a little to one side and always the same side as you progress.
Fold the bottom strip towards the top, a little to the other side and always the same side as you progress.
Fold the right strip toward the right. Pass over the first strip then under the second.
Fold the left strip toward the right. Pass over the first strip, then under the second.
Pull all of the strips nice and tight.
DIY Cat Scratchers
Collect cardboard boxes and cut them up into strips of the same width and length to fit the length of your main box.
Use glue to stick them all together and then fit them snugly into the box.
Once the box is full, ensure that they’re glued tight into the box frame.
Other ways to volunteer and support
With so many animals to look after, Bristol Animal Rescue Centre is always on the look for new volunteers to help at the shelter. Whether that’s one of opportunities like our volunteer day or a more regular volunteer role helping out on a regular basis.
They have two roles up now on the volunteering page of their website for a Collection Tin Champion and an Animal Transfer and Facilities Volunteer. Make sure to check out their website for more information on how to volunteer!
But what if you don’t live locally or can’t volunteer?
The great news is that the shelter does several virtual events like their Mutt Strut, which is going on right now! Throughout August, they’re encouraging their community to walk 100km and raise money for the shelter by doing so.
Or of course if you are able to make a donation this helps a huge amount, you can donate directly onto the page (link here).
Where else can I keep in touch?
Keep up with everything that’s going on at the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre like the Mutt Strut, Cat Cabin Lock-In and Kennel Break 2024 by signing up to their mailing list!
Simply navigate to their website and scroll to the bottom of the page to find the sign-up form.