Warrington Animal Welfare

Having owned rescue animals in the past, I love being able to support rescue centres in any way that I can. Did you know that an estimated 2.7 million animals enter UK animal shelters each year. Of these, 1.2 million are cats, 664,000 are dogs, and 184,000 are other animals (fish, small mammals, etc.). With rescue centres inundated with animals to look after and rehome, I like to be able to offer free photoshoots to show off the personality of the pet you’re looking to adopt, and it’s always a great excuse for a cuddle!

With this in mind, I was really excited to go to Warrington Animal Welfare (WAW) and photograph some of their cats and rabbits (I will be going back to photograph some of their dogs soon so keep your eyes peeled!).

WAW is a registered charity, and is a community focused, non-profit organisation that cares for abandoned, abused and unwanted domestic animals. Their mission consists of three main focuses;

Raise awareness of the importance of responsible pet ownership, neutering and microchipping
Provide low-cost neutering for pets whose owners are on benefits/low income to reduce the amount of stray, abandoned and unwanted pets in Warrington and the surrounding areas
Supporting the local communities via their rescue and rehoming service by offering help and assistance to rehome unwanted pets.

Sad fact - black animals are less likely to get adopted than their counterparts

Some of the most common myths suggest that black cats bring bad luck and that black dogs are omens of death; unfortunately, these rumours that are rooted in folklore and ancient mythology are still prevalent in the 21st century. One rumour that is true is that unfortunately black animals are generally the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanised. Additionally, black animals struggle to get adopted because their darker coats often lead to poor quality photos - *insert sigh*

The struggle that black animals face when it comes to adoption is so prominent that there is a name for the phenomenon - Black Dog Syndrome. Despite what the name suggests, this syndrome doesn’t just affect dogs…

A study published in 2012 by Anthrozoös found that dark-coloured cats are more likely to be stereotyped as aloof, whilst a study conducted at the University of California revealed that black cats were seen as ‘more antisocial than cats with other fur colours,’ whilst orange cats were seen as the friendliest.

A similar study was undertaken in 2011 by Stanley Coren, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia. He showed participants images of three Labrador Retrievers of different colours; black, brown and yellow. His findings highlighted that people consistently rated the black dog as being less attractive, less friendly and the most aggressive.

There were so many gorgeous cats and rabbits available for adoption - the animals pictured below are just a selection! Everyone that I was fortunate enough to meet was so gentle and friendly, it’s clear that all of these animals just want to be loved.

All of the animals surrendered to WAW are there through no fault of their own, and I really hope that shining a light on just how gorgeous these pets are gets them closer to being adopted.

To find out more about the animals that are available for adoption over at Warrington Animal Welfare, take a look at their website - www.warringtonanimalwelfare.org.uk