AT Home with Lorraine Kelly - April 2011 - (Page 248)

A home to call FOR hundReds OF animals living at Rescue centRes, they want nOthing mORe than theiR Own bed in a nice, cOsy hOme. deputy editOR, JO willacy, spent a day at an Rspca centRe, wheRe unwanted pets live FOR days, weeks OR even lOngeR… my own ‘P assionate, dedicated and hard-working – none of these words does any justice to the staff who work at the RSPCA Southridge Animal Centre in Hertfordshire, where I went to muck in for a day, and see what’s really involved at a rescue centre. ‘Before I met the staff, I was given the once-over by the residents at reception – a good sniff from Leo, a Neapolitan mastiff (history: beaten with an iron bar and tied to a lamppost); Mutley, a Jack Russell who lies on the reception desk (history: owners went on holiday leaving him alone in the house, he broke out looking for food and got run over); and Stephen, a slim, handsome cat who prowls around reception keeping his canine companions in check (history: epileptic and now partially blind). ‘All three now belong to Anna White, the centre manager, who just couldn’t give them up – and I don’t Cool for CAts ‘I can’t wait to meet these much maligned dogs, but first I set off with 248 | MAY 2012 WOrds: Jo Willacy blame her. ‘Stephen’s great for helping us test whether a dog will be OK living with cats,’ says Anna. ‘Because he’s partially blind, he doesn’t panic when a dog is near.’ ‘However, Anna says re-homing from the centre has dropped dramatically. The reason? Most of the dogs at Southridge are bull terriers, and the breed is now out of favour because of the way they are portrayed in the media.’ Once she has finished feeding, Eliza is weighed – assuming that she will stay still long enough for the scales to register Lucy, one of the 12 members of staff on duty (there are 26 in all), to the East Wing. It may sound like I’m on the set of ITV1’s period drama, Downton Abbey, but no. The cat enclosure, where more than 100 kittens and cats reside, is next on the agenda and it’s time to clean up. ‘It’s a big job and all the animals’ areas have to be spick and span before the centre opens to the public at 11am. During the day, there will be a steady flow of prospective owners, mainly families with young children – strolling around. Lucy works quickly but very meticulously. She

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AT Home with Lorraine Kelly - April 2011

EDITOR’S LETTER
HELLO FROM LORRAINE
NOTEBOOK NEWS
ONE FOR THE DIARY
LITTLE BLACK BOOK
GOING STRONG
WIN BIG!
LORRAINE UNCUT
TOP HONOURS
FIT FOR A QUEEN
KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON
SEX LIVES
CAREER CORNER
MOTOR SKILLS
DRIVING MISS DAISY
RETIRE HAPPY
CURTAIN CALL
ON TREND TRAPPINGS
IT'S A WRAP
BAGS OF STYLE
STEP AHEAD
WEDDING BELLES
FROCK FRENZY
WHAT YOUR CLOTHES SAY
JEWELLERY BOX BOUNTY
WOMANLY WOES
A BUMP IN THE ROAD
LOVELY BONES
FANCY FOOTWORK
PROTECT YOUR PEEPERS
VITAMIN VITALS
LOOK TO THE STARS
BE WELL
A RACE AGAINST TIME
MANAGE YOUR MAN’S HEALTH
EXPERT OPINION
MEZZE MADE EASY
DIG IN!
METABOLISM EXPLAINED
HEALTHY HYDRATION
READY, STEADY, RUN
THE GYM-FREE WORKOUT
MIRACLE WORKERS
NAKED AMBITION
WHEN LESS IS MORE
HAIR HEROES
FOXY LOCKS FOR OVER 40S
ASK THE ADULTS
TRAVELLING TOTS
KIDS ON THE CATWALK
A HELPING HAND
WHY I BECAME A FOSTER PARENT
FUN HOUSE
PAMPER TIME
LIFE AT THE RSPCA
WHAT'S FOR DINNER?
MINI MENAGERIE
ANIMAL INSURANCE
MUM'S THE WORD
EASY ON THE EYE
WEDDING BLISS
CREATE YOUR OWN
ONE MORE THING
COMING SOON
STOCKISTS
STYLISH LIVING SUPPLEMENT
SPRING HOME STYLE
GOT TO HAVE IT
HEART OF THE HOME
BEDROOM BLISS
LIVING IT UP
BOLD BATHROOM
SMALL CHANGE
DON'T SLIP UP
IMPROVE, DON'T MOVE
LET ME IN
WINDOW DRESSING
AL FRESCO DINING
DECK IT OUT
CLEVER CONSERVATORIES
GLAZE OVER
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
TRAVEL SUPPLEMENT
HELLO FROM LORRAINE
TRAVEL NEWS AND VIEWS
WILD AND FREE
BRILLIANT BLIGHTY
ONE FINE DAY
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
ISLAND HOPPING
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
PARK LIFE
BEFORE YOU JET OFF
GLOBE TROTTER
JUST THE JOB SUPPLEMENT
LORRAINE'S WELCOME
YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL
GO GIRL
FIRST-CLASS EMPLOYER
THE SKY'S THE LIMIT
A RIGHT BALANCE
A WOMAN'S WORLD
BUILDING BEAUTIES
GET SWOTTING
BACK TO WORK
COUNT ON BANKING
BRIGHT SPARK
PLAYING HOUSE
PLACE YOUR BETS
SHOP AROUND

AT Home with Lorraine Kelly - April 2011