Places Features

HULA Animal Rescue is a small registered charity which has been helping animals and their owners since 1972.

The Home for Unwanted and Lost Animals was started by a concerned vet, his wife and other animal lovers, after a lady brought her young puppy into their veterinary surgery and asked for it to be put down "as I’m going on holiday and can’t afford to put the dog in kennels". 

At that time, there were no animal rescue centres in Bedfordshire.  The vet refused and Blackie became their first rescued animal.

So HULA was started in a back garden in Luton but due to the rapid increase in the numbers of animals needing help moved to its current site at Glebe Farm in Aspley Guise in 1978.  A decision was taken by the then committee to plough all raised funds into the welfare of the animals at the Sanctuary and not keep back any funds for maintenance and building.

The sanctuary has a capacity of 100 animals, and is currently a temporary home to 106.  Which includes dogs, cats, rabbits, chinchillas, goats, chickens, shetland ponies, shetland sheep and even two cows that were rounded up by the police nine years ago
and have lived a very nice life there ever since.

Sadly the centre has heard from an increasing number of people who've either been made redundant, had their homes repossessed or have just decided that a pet, particularly an old or unwell one that's going to be expensive, is a luxury they can no longer afford.

BBC reporter Katherine Lynch spoke to Steve Price, the sanctuary manager, and he introduced her to a couple of the rescue dogs: 

There are two litters of kittens who've been born there and at least one dog which they think might be expecting puppies soon... 

Hula are asking people to persevere with their pets before giving them up, because their sanctuary - along with many others around the country - is full to bursting.

For more information visit the Hula website using the link on this page.