Endsleigh and Lets With Pets Encourage Pet Friendly Properties!

There is good news for devoted pet owners struggling to find rented accommodation with their best friends. A specialist insurance policy is available through Endsleigh Insurance Brokers and Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, to encourage more landlords to accept pets in their properties, making it easier for pet owners to rent with their pets.   

The Specialist Landlords Insurance policy – in partnership with Lets with Pets is to be launched in May 2013 and will be available to individual landlords through Dogs Trust’s Lets with Pets scheme: www.letswithpets.org.uk. The policy aims to give landlords the peace of mind that pet damage will be covered as standard.

Clare Kivlehan, Dogs Trust Lets with Pets Manager, says: 

“As more people are turning to renting, we feel that pet owners shouldn’t have to fall short of finding the perfect property. Our research has shown that over three quarters of pet owners experience difficulties finding privately rented accommodation that allows pets. It is unfair that some responsible owners are forced into giving up their pets because of accommodation issues.”

The insurance policy created by Endsleigh and Lets with Pets has been established due to overwhelming demand from Landlords who are eager to branch out and rent to pet owners, but want the reassurance of specialist buildings and contents insurance. Tellingly, a recent survey found that 88% of landlords said they would rent to pet owners if there was an insurance product available covering pet damage.

The Lets with Pets scheme, run by Dogs Trust, aims to make private renting with pets easier for pet owners, landlords, and letting agencies by providing practical advice and a range of free resources. 

Sean Sage, Endsleigh’s Let Property Sector Manager, commented:

“With over 30 year’s experience developing property insurance solutions for the landlords sector, Endsleigh is committed to providing specialist insurance protection to meet all the requirements of buy to let landlords. Often the perceived problem of pet damage is the major obstacle for landlords when it comes to renting to pet owners. We are delighted to be working with Dogs Trust and Lets with Pets to provide comprehensive insurance cover for landlords to put their mind at rest which will ultimately help pet-owning tenants.”   

 

The new insurance policy will be available to individual landlords and cover will include accidental pet damage as standard, 120 days unoccupancy, theft by tenants, £2m property owners’ liability, malicious damage by tenants and landlords contents. 

For more information on the Lets with Pets and Endsleigh Pet Insurance Policy, go to: www.endsleigh.co.uk/letswithpets or contact letswithpets@endsleigh.co.uk

 

For further information and advice about the Lets with Pets scheme, please visit www.letswithpets.org.uk

The Facts:  

The Lets with Pets scheme makes the process of privately renting with pets easier for tenants, landlords and letting agencies by providing practical tools and advice for each step of the letting process. The scheme encourages all letting agencies who are members of a professional body to sign up as a Lets with Pets supporter.

A range of free resources are available to Lets with Pets supporters to help them successfully let properties to pet owners:  

• Advertising on the Lets with Pets website www.letswithpets.org.uk
•  A simple to use toolkit including:

         -  Information leaflets explaining the scheme to landlords

         -  Information and advice leaflets for pet owners

         -  Advice about tenancy amendments and introducing a pet policy

         -  Easy to use documents including a pet checklist and pet information form

• Use of our Lets with Pets promotional products and logos

SewLomax: 'Poo Bag' Give Away

www.sewlomax.com have kindly donated a number of these creative and fun Embroidered Poo Bags in aid of our 'The Big Scoop' campaign.

A cult item among dog owners, the SewLomax drawstring Poo bag is a stylish way to discreetly carry those necessary plastic bags, and even has a helpful clip to attach to one's lead.

Our Campaign:

As the dog population sits at approximately 8 million and is only set to grow so too is the problem with dog mess. For the first time in ten years a rise in dog fouling has been reported* and with 64% of people considering it to be the most offensive litter item, something needs to be done to tackle the problem. As such Dogs Trust and Keep Britain Tidy have teamed up with celebrity campaigner and dog owner Ben Fogle to urge people to not only collect their dog’s mess but dispose of it properly too. 

As a national campaign The Big Scoop will engage with children, councils and park wardens to raise awareness of the importance of responsible dog ownership. Children will be asked to show their support and don specially designed capes transforming them into Scooper Heroes and councils will be supplied with free poo bags and literature on the issue.

 About SewLomax:

My creative imagination has always been a big part of who I am and a place I love to escape to. For me, creating and making is my coming home and I am filled with excitement when I find just the right fabric or catch sight of rows and rows of beautiful wools, silks and cotton. Even discovering an old bobbin or button fills me with butterflies and glee in anticipation at what can be created from these often discarded items.

I was delighted to see a shift away from mass produced items and the return in popularity of craft and everything "home made" and therefore in 2011 SewLomax was born when I decided to mix my passion, experience and skill to create attractive and wittily stitched ethical bags which have been created by me in the UK. Each canvas bag is ethically sourced and is treated with Scotchguard™ to protect from stains, critically it also means you can wipe clean your SewLomax bag.

My selection of bags are not only fun but also stylish, and offer unique and creative ways to organise your day. Each piece in the SewLomax range is lovingly finished by hand which enables the owner to feel that they own something individual and unique. SewLomax products are ageless and timeless and appeal to many genres from the gym goer to the busy city worker! I will be adding new styles regularly to ensure my customers are kept in a buoyant mood!

www.sewlomax.com

 

***** THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED *****

To get your hands on one of these trendy little poo  bags, just email feedback@dogstrust.org.uk with your address and the correct response to the below question:

Of the four facts below, which ONE is FALSE?  

A) The Great Dane is the tallest dog 

B) The Chihuahua is the smallest dog

C) The German Sheppard originates from Russia

D) The St. Bernard is the heaviest dog

Please send your name address and answer to feedback@dogstrust.org.uk. We will be choosing the lucky winners at 9:00am on Friday 24th of May 2013 and will be replying  to the lucky winners via email.

We'll pick twenty winners at random! 

Good Luck! 
 

***** THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED *****

 

Do you love Dogs Trust and live near a Sainsbury’s? If so, you could help!

Sainsbury’s is looking for nominations for a local charity for each of their stores.

For the past five years, Sainsbury’s stores have partnered with a local charity. Every May, local communities are encouraged to nominate their favourite charity for this partnership. The one selected becomes the store's Local Charity and is supported over the next 12 months through fundraising and volunteering.  It's a fantastic opportunity! 

There are three ways to nominate Dogs Trust as Local Charity at your local Sainsbury’s:

• INSTORE:  Just fill out the nomination form at your local store and post it in the store's nomination box.
• AT HOME: Click here to download a PDF of the nomination form. Print it, fill it out at home and drop it into the nomination box at your local store.
• ONLINE: You can email your nomination to: local.charity@sainsburys.co.uk. Remember to include the name and address of your local store, the charity's contact details, and the reason you are nominating that charity.

We think we'd be a great fit for this initiative because, in addition to our well known rehoming centres and education programme, we do a lot of community work too. Dogs Trust liaises with local communities to ensure responsible dog ownership is promoted to all.  Our Campaigns Team works closely with local councils to ensure that as many dogs as possible can be microchipped and we provide subsidised neutering in several regions across the UK.  We also work with housing associations and private landlords to allow tenants to keep dogs in their properties.  

Entries are due today, the 14th May.  You can find your nearest centre to nominate on our website, or please use our head office address of 17 Wakley Street, London, EC1V 7RQ.

Thank you for your consideration!

Dogs Trust Loughborough... a year on!

1^st May 2013 marks exactly one year since the full team started working at the centre in Wymeswold, Loughborough.  The building was finished and the time had come for everyone to come together and begin the induction into their career at Dogs Trust.

The day began with introductions to key personnel from Head Office before the Management Team were introduced.  The team were then allocated of uniform, handbooks and lockers before getting a guided tour of the centre by Paul who had designed the building.  The centre was now alive and already everyone was counting down the days till the barking started and the dogs arrived!

Sam

Receptionist Sam remembers this time fondly, “There’s nothing more nerve-wracking than starting a new job, but knowing that there were 30 other people starting with you helped turn the nerves into excitement! I can remember the first four weeks leading up to the first dogs arriving as if they were just last week, and I am very proud to say that I have been a part of the past year’s accomplishments that all of us at Loughborough have achieved! I look forward to us continuing our success in the years to come, and thank everyone who has visited us for all their support.”

Kelly

Kelly joined Dogs Trust Loughborough as an experienced Vet Nurse Assistant and says: “The 1^st few days were exciting but daunting as everyone was getting to know one another. But it wasn’t long before we all became a team, especially when the dogs arrived and the real work started. The thing that stands out most about our induction time was all the people from head office and different areas within dogs trust and how each and every one of them was genuinely passionate about the welfare of dogs and how to help and improve this in the future”.

Ella

Ella was very excited to joining Loughborough as their Supporter Relations Officer after being involved with the charity for a number of years.  She says: “1^st May 2012 was my dream day! After being a volunteer for a number of years at Dogs Trust Leeds I couldn’t wait to be working for Dogs Trust Loughborough.

Walking through the reception doors on the first day, I was nervous to meet the new team but at the same time I was filled with excitement to start my new role. Ever since that day I have never looked back!

The past year has gone so quickly, with some great stories to tell. Every day is different, one day you could be planning the first Summer Show, the next you could be filming the dogs playing in the snow. One of the big highlights was our first Xmas Fair, which raised a massive amount of money thanks to the amount of supporters we have gained in the area. We saw so many of our dogs coming back to say Merry Xmas and of course to come and see Santa Paws, they all looked so happy with their new forever families. My personal highlight was of course adopting my blue merle border collie Moss from the centre, who I would never be without”.

Claire moved from the Glasgow centre to be part of the Loughborough team and as the Assistant Manager Admin remembers those first few weeks “being super busy sorting kennel routines, ordering cleaning supplies, food bowls, beds and everything to make our first dogs comfortable when they arrived later that month. It was really exciting for the site to finally be ours, although I was worried I was going to get lost as it was like a maze at the start! It was great to meet all of the team and there was such a buzz about the place. The best moment during this time was when our first dogs arrived, at last the kennels were full of barking, excited and waggy-tailed canine residents, all looking for their new homes. This was what we were here to do!”

It's just a matter of weeks until the centre celebrates its first birthday and with a full of fun events and activities taking place, please do pop down and join in the fun.

• The fun starts on the 24^th May with a 'wear yellow and black non-uniform day'.

• On the 27^th staff and volunteers begin an 464 mile (distance between our Ifracombe and West Calder centres) cycle ride and will be peddling away every day on an exercise bike in the reception area. 
• A cake sale, plus fun competitions such as name the puppy, and win the giant dog, will be taking place at the centre over the weekend of the 1^st and 2^nd June. 
• On the 2^nd June why not join us at Rushcliffe Park for a sponsored dog walk!

For more information on taking part in the dog walk or non-uniform day please email Loughborough@dogstrust.org.uk

 Thank You!

Meet some more of the team....

Adrian

Caroline

Meg

Nico

Steph

Kirsty

Lauren

Sarah-Jane

Sam E

Zoe