Manchester Dogs Home raises £240k+ overnight following fire
Howard Lake | 12 September 2014 | News
A fire at Manchester Dogs Home last night has killed 43 dogs, injured 150, and badly damaged the building. An appeal set up by the Manchester Evening News has already raised over £240,000 via a emergency appeal JustGiving page. It was set up at 9.20 pm last night, and the original target was £5,000 but has subsequently been increased to £1 million.
The fire broke out at 7.10pm yesterday evening. Support for the Home came from many sources with people turning up to offer donations of blankets and dog food. Other animal charities stepped in to look after some of the Home’s dogs. Staff and volunteers at the Harpurhey home helped to rescue as many dogs as they could.
The Greater Manchester police used Twitter to encourage people who wanted to help to make a donation via the JustGiving page, rather than to attempt to reach the Home:
Can we please ask people to donate cash for Mcr Dogs Home to the Justgiving website. Clothing and food can go to North Mcr Police Station — G M Police (@gmpolice) September 12, 2014
They also, according to the Manchester Evening News, had arrested a 14 year old boy on suspicion of arson.
The Manchester & Cheshire Dogs’ Home was established in 1893 to help the stray and unwanted dogs roaming the streets of Manchester. Later it expanded to cover parts of Lancashire, Cheshire and Derbyshire. Today it cares for over 7,000 dogs each year.
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Statement from the Dogs Home
The Manchester Dogs Home released a statement at 8am.
“The staff and trustees of Manchester Dogs’ Home would like to express their enormous gratitude for the huge support received from the public following the devastating fire on site during the night.
“All of the surviving dogs are now in transit – the majority of them going to sister site Cheshire Dogs’ Home near Warrington – and those in need of veterinary treatment have been receiving it.”
Words are not enough. Thank you everyone, you have touched our hearts and surrounded us with love and we are truly grateful.
— Dogs’ Homes (@manchdogs) September 12, 2014
To help the charity cope, it also published the following request:
Pls can all enquiries & offers for support be directed to @SmithandSmithPR pls don’t call the homes or go to Manchester home
— Dogs’ Homes (@manchdogs) September 12, 2014
Appeal grows
Wow over £100k raised already for @manchdogs all the latest and what happens next, from 0500 http://t.co/BqVxE2dJi8 pic.twitter.com/b6Y6Mphe8B — BBC Radio Manchester (@bbcradiomanc) September 12, 2014
At 6.59am the appeal had raised £148,000. By 7.20am it had risen to over £170,000.
The Manhchester Dogs Home appeal reaches £170,000 at 7.20am
By 8.00 the appeal had passed the £211,000 mark. The fire and response to the appeal has attracted extensive coverage and messages of support and condolence have been sent to the Home.
Our hearts go out to all the animals and staff affected by the terrible fire at Manchester Dogs Home. — RSPCA (@RSPCA_official) September 11, 2014
By 8.15 it had reached £235,000.
By 9.00 it topped £300,000:
We're completely overwhelmed. £300,000 in 12 hours for #ManchesterDogsHome. Text MDOG57 + your £ to 70070 to donate: http://t.co/mG6ZsbEW1J
— Manchester News MEN (@MENnewsdesk) September 12, 2014
By 9.24am, 12 hours after it was launched, it had passed £333,000, and by 10.05 it exceeded £400,000:
At 11.20 it passed the half a million pounds mark:
It reached £600,000 at 12:36.
At 2.40pm it had raised £750,000:
#Dogselfie
Supporters, dog-lovers and dog-owners, some of whom have removed a dog from the Manchester Dogs Home, are beginning to share photos of their dogs while sharing details of how to donate. They are using the inevitable hashtag #Dogselfie.
Join the #DogSelfie campaign for Manchester Dogs' Home http://t.co/B0RZ68wK6q pic.twitter.com/mFYpWpVge8
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) September 12, 2014
Manchester Evening News thanked its readers and everyone who had pledged support, not just financially, in an article Manchester Dogs’ Home fire: How your response is restoring faith in humanity
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.