The owner of Babbington Kennels, which is regarded as one of the best private dog kennels in the country, has announced that he is retiring.
Tony Sanders, came to Babbington Hall in Awsworth near Kimberley 12 years ago when he decided to rebuild an old dog kennel centre from scratch. Now with more than seven hundred dogs a year coming through the doors it’s busier than ever.
With the help of a dedicated team and relatives Tony’s developed the Babbington Kennels into a business, which he says sets it aside from many other animal shelters that struggle for money.
The owner decided to rebuild the kennels as he said that Broxtowe Borough Council was putting dogs to sleep because there wasn’t a proper re-homing facility.
Mr Sanders is set to leave the kennels behind and is making space for younger blood to take over.
Video: Tony Sanders, owner of Babbington Kennels.
Tony states that the number of dogs coming to the centre has not decreased even since the recession due to people often leaving or being thrown out of their homes so they can’t take their dogs with them.
Tony notes that there are still plenty of cases of neglected or abused dogs that are sent to the kennels.
We had a four year old Yorkshire Terrier and her back leg was bent back right underneath her chest.
Tony Sanders, Babbington Kennels owner.
“The council’s vet said we might as well put her to sleep, but £1500 and a four month rehabilitation and now she’s running round.”
With the scorching heatwave set to continue over summer Tony is keen to remind people to not let their pets overheat.
He said: “We have to understand how the weather affects the dogs, as different types of dog cope differently with weather. We leave the windows and doors open to get a draft in, we have pools so the dogs can plunge into it when they get overheated.”
It has always been Tony’s priority to help more dogs throughout his career.
He said: “I came here and I had three dogs and I now have seven dogs, my daughter has nine dogs so we’re grown into the dog world. Its important that you have a business head on because you can’t look after dogs unless you have a sustainable income coming in.
Tony is currently searching for a new owner of his kennels who will share the same passion for rescuing animals that he has.
If you want to help a dog in need you can pop down to the kennels open day on July 11.
