The importance of responsible pet care

At Ferne Animal Sanctuary, it has been our core mission to provide love and care to pets in need for over 85 years. For us, every day is centred around the welfare and happiness of our animals. In recognition of Responsible Pet Owners Month, we’re sharing our top tips from our animal care team to ensure your pet is properly loved and cared for. The annual awareness day taking place this month, in February, aims to raise awareness amongst pet owners to recognise the importance of responsible pet care.

Caring for animals in need

For the animals at Ferne, around-the-clock care starts long before they find their forever homes. Many of the pets we rescue come from difficult backgrounds – abandonment, neglect, or situations where their previous owners could no longer care for them.

Thanks to our dedicated animal care team and the generosity of our supporters, we provide rescued or surrendered pets with the medical care, rehabilitation, and love they need before matching them with their forever homes.

Our aim is to get all dogs and cats into their ideal home where they will find their people to bond with and spend the rest of their days with all the creature comforts they want.  Occasionally, we have cats who either don’t cope in the cattery or have very specific needs who stay with us at Ferne, where they have free roam of the entire Sanctuary and a comfy bed to come back to when they like.

We get many other animals who stay with us on site for the rest of their days, often these would be pet sheep or goats whose owners love them but their own circumstances change meaning they are unable to properly care for their pets and they want to ensure they avoid going into a breeding cycle or for food production. Some of the smaller pets often come to us as either welfare cases or unwanted children’s pets.  These usually stay with us to ensure they don’t have a life being passed from pillar to post or cooped up in a small hutch and forgotten about, especially over Winter.

All of the animals we rehome remain under the umbrella of Ferne for their lifetime so that should things change, we are here as a safety net.

Animal Welfare Expert, Nikki Haddock, and Fly

Finding pets their forever homes

Each pet at Ferne has a unique story and rehoming them isn’t just about finding a home – it’s about ensuring the best possible future for them in an environment where they’re properly cared for. Our process includes:

• Rescue & rehabilitation: Many animals arrive in urgent need of medical treatment and emotional rehabilitation. Our animal care team work around-the-clock to ensure every animal receives the best care possible.
• Training & socialisation: Some pets require behavioural support to rebuild their confidence, while others need training, socialisation and time before they’re ready for adoption.
• Finding the perfect match: We carefully assess each animal’s needs and match them with families who can provide the right environment, ensuring the best chance of a successful and happy adoption.

The importance of responsible pet ownership

Responsible Pet Owners Month is a welcome reminder of the commitment involved in pet ownership. When you bring a pet into your home, you’re making a lifelong promise to care for them. Here are some of our key welfare tips for responsible pet care:

• Routine veterinary care – Regular health checks, vaccinations, and worming/flea treatments are essential for long-term well-being. Lifelong insurance is advised for all pets, small and large, to help cover the cost of veterinary care whilst providing peace of mind and financial protection.
• Proper nutrition – Every pet has unique dietary needs, and good nutrition plays a key role in their overall health. Pet owners should take advise from veterinary professionals regarding the best diet for individual pets.
• Enrichment & exercise – Keeping pets active, engaged, and mentally stimulated is just as important as physical health. Both regular enrichment and exercise is vital to keep your pet healthy and happy.
• Training & socialisation – Teaching good behaviours and helping pets feel comfortable and safe in different environments sets them up for a happy future. Professional training is advised if owners are unable to provide appropriate training for their pet. Doing your breed research will help enable you to understand and meet your pets breed specific needs.
• Lifetime commitment – A pet is for life. Every day, owners are responsible for the health and happiness of their pet – it’s a non-negotiable commitment and should be treated as one. Adopting responsibly gives animals in need, like ours at Ferne, a life-changing chance at happiness.

Celebrating happy endings

We are proud give animals in need their happy ending, whether paired with the perfect family or looked after by our team as one of our sanctuary animal residents. Recently, we rehomed Whiskey, an eight-year-old Appaloosa X horse, after she came to us with her Mum, Bourbon.

Bourbon and Whiskey

Bourbon had experienced severe trauma; our team of animal care experts and veterinarians had to make the best decision for Bourbon, as to whether it was ethical or realistic that she could be rehabilitated due to her extremely defensive reaction to humans. The decision was made that it is in Bourbon’s best interests to remain at Ferne for the rest of her days, where she is very happy in her herd amongst a quiet, predictable environment. The team have since gained Bourbon’s trust and are providing the ongoing care necessary to keep her healthy. Bourbon is now a key member of our horse herd; she maintains order and has bonded with Gordon, another of our permanent residents.

Bourbon

Whiskey, however, had lacked human handling and any real interaction with people. During rehabilitation, we worked with Whiskey to socialise and adapt her to being a domestic horse. Fortunately, she was curious and interested in people and with time and patience, lots of learning happened. Whiskey is now in a wonderful home, regularly ridden out in the forest with a fabulous new owner who is fully conversant with ethical training techniques.

Whiskey

Over the years, we’ve rehomed countless animals, and nothing makes us happier than seeing them thriving in their new homes. Pets like Whiskey as well as Rocky, a Labrador-crossbreed who underwent life-saving hip surgery before finding his forever family, are proof of the incredible transformations that can happen thanks to the love and generosity of supporters like you.

Rocky