Could These New Kennels Transform Dog Rescue in Cornwall?

St Francis Dogs Home in Newquay is preparing for a major step forward as new kennels are set to be built after years of relying solely on foster homes.

A Long-Awaited Upgrade

The charity, founded in 1955, has only been able to foster dogs in recent years because its kennels were no longer fit for purpose. Each time a dog was rescued the team had to find a foster home almost straight away, limiting how many animals they could support at one time.

That is now changing thanks to the support of Travis Perkins and a group of local businesses and volunteers. Work is already underway to restore the kennel facilities, giving St Francis the chance to keep dogs on site again.

Support from Travis Perkins

Travis Perkins’ Newquay branch on Treloggan Industrial Estate has donated more than £1,500 worth of materials, including timber, plasterboard, sand and cement.

Adam Riddle, Branch Manager at Travis Perkins in Newquay, said:
“Who does not love dogs? It is great to be able to help the animals and the charity.
They are local, and they are so popular and well known within the community in Newquay.
The materials we have provided will go a long way to helping them revamp their premises which will ultimately mean they can help more dogs.
At Travis Perkins, we feel it is so important to help good causes in the local area, especially in these circumstances when we know our materials can really make a difference.”

The building work includes ten new kennels and two isolation kennels, with the aim for completion by the end of January 2026.

What It Means for the Dogs

St Francis currently finds foster homes for around 24 dogs at a time. With the new facilities, the charity is expecting to expand what it can offer after four years without kennels.

Beverly Dobson from St Francis said:
“The new kennels mean after four years we can now offer so much more help to the dogs than we could previously.
We could not home them because we did not have the facilities. This helps us so much.
We cannot believe how generous Travis Perkins has been. Their generosity does not just help home dogs who have fallen on hard times, but it will save lots of the animals’ lives.
We are incredibly grateful for their support.”

About Travis Perkins

Travis Perkins is part of Travis Perkins plc and is the largest supplier of building materials to the building and construction industry in the UK. With over 500 branches, it provides thousands of products to trade professionals and self-builders, including tool hire, timber, landscaping, plumbing, heating and decorating essentials.

📷A Travis Perkins lorry drops off essential building materials at St Francis Dogs Home