News / Bristol Charity Advent Calendar 2022
In 1886, Edward Parker found a puppy during a snowstorm in Bristol and after rescuing his new four-legged friend realised that there was nowhere for him to go for it to get the food, shelter and care that the animal needed.
A meeting was held in February 1887 and it was unanimously resolved to establish a home for dogs without delay.
By the end of that year, the Bristol Home for Lost & Starving Dogs opened to the public on Waterloo Street in St Philip’s, making it only the second dedicated home for stray or lost dogs in England following Battersea Dog and Cat’s Home’s which had been establishment in 1860.
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The original idea for the Bristol Home for Lost & Starving Dogs came in 1887 – image: Bristol ARC
The home has been on its current site on Albert Road in St Philip’s since 1901 and has been known as Bristol ARC since 2018.
Bristol ARC is the longest-standing and largest animal charity in the Bristol area, and although affiliated with the RSPCA receive no automatic funding from it.
They rely entirely on local support within the community to fund their vital work.
Bristol ARC has an on-site veterinary clinic on their Albert Road site, with their experienced and highly skilled vet team able to provide the best care for their own animals, and for the animals in the wider Bristol community.
Clinic teams care for the animals in the care of Bristol ARC waiting to find their forever homes, as well as injured or sick wildlife and cruelty cases brought to them by the RSPCA Inspectorate.
There are also a number of animals who need rehoming. For more information on who is currently looking for their forever home, visit www.bristolarc.org.uk/rehoming
Main photo: Bristol ARC
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