Man's best friends

The benefits of animal therapy are well advocated. Our pets provide us with comfort, happiness, and unconditional love. For some of the Charity's former and current young people however, there are additional benefits to spending time with animals; these include helping to restore a young person’s confidence, improve social interaction, emotional well-being, and expression.

The archive offers up snapshots which show some of the animals that were resident on the Belmont estate in the 20th century. Here are just a few that brought happiness and companionship to our residents:

Meg was resident at Belmont in the 1930s.

Caspar belonged to the Houseparents of the Crossley Home in the late 1940s. A number of photographs of Caspar with the young residents are held in the collection.

Beau - Resident at Bethesda

Another canine companion at Bethesda in the 1960s

Chilling outside Central Office in the 1970s

Hayes House cat, c. 1970s

A heartwarming story recounted in a previous blog shows how even in the Charity's early days it understood the bond between man and his animal companions:

‘One evening a little chap about ten years of age sought admission [to the Central Refuge]. He sat on a form in the waiting room with a little dog cuddled up to him. It was evident that there was a closer union than the bodily proximity between these two. He came into the room for the interview bringing the dog with him, and in reply to a question said the dog belonged to him. There was no question about helping the child at least for the night, for he was in a poor starved condition. It was arranged therefore that he should be admitted, and it was suggested that he should let the dog go as the Home was only for children. From his point of view this was an impossible condition, and he stoutly declared he could not stay without the dog, and he was preparing to go out again into the street. Of course they were both admitted to the satisfaction of each.’