The ADCH â or Association of Dog & Cat Homes, to give them their full title â is an umbrella body for dog and cat rescues up and down the UK, be they small groups, un/registered charities, or the big boys, ie Battersea, Blue Cross, Cats Protection, Dogs Trust and RSPCA. They also offer affiliate membership to related industries such as Anilog, MARS Petcare, MDC and Petplan.
Their annual conference has shown impressive growth year on year, with this yearâs event taking place at the Telford International Centre with a sell out crowd of 560 delegates.
And AdvoCATS were two of them!
We wouldnât have been, were it not for the generosity of our friends at Cats Protection. Weâd got talking to their Director of Operations at the Westminster launch of CPâs Lifeline service in November 2023, and were discussing our work and the lack of knowledge around leasehold properties and head leases forbidding pets. The ADCH conference would be a great place to start spreading the message, but the exhibitor costs were way beyond our budgetâŠâlet me see what I can doâ was his reply.
What he did what very kindly give us some space within their sponsored area, with full autonomy over how we dressed our section. An unusually healthy bank balance, largely down to an insurance pay out for some damaged car boot stock, meant that we could fund two delegates, book accommodation, order a new banner and leaflets and put together a display worthy of any âproperâ budget â so we got our schmooze on andâŠ
âŠhit the ground running. We talked, and networked, and explained and engaged with so many people just within the first half hour, it made going so very worth it. No time to catch our breath whilst the first talks took place, that time was used to speak with our fellow exhibitors and start developing relationships there, then all too soon the hoards descended once more and we were off talking ten to the dozen again!
The range of talks on offer for delegates was extremely diverse, from how the XL Bully ban has impacted the rescue sector, to fundraising, regulation updates, welfare, rehoming issues, first aid and even compassion fatigue for rescue workers.
A good conference is all about fun as well as learning and making good connections, and fun was most definitely had at the networking event held the evening before conference officially started – games galore and pizza! – and at the Petplan awards dinner held on the evening of the first day. The awards recognised excellence in employees, volunteers and teams â three winners whittled down from 7,800 nominations; their respective rescues must be very, very proud of them.
Day 2 was quieter with hangovers aplenty, but no less informative. There were several talks in the morning for delegates to choose from, followed by a closing address, networking lunch and packing down our stand. This was the first time AdvoCATS has attended an event in an exhibitor capacity, and we already have thoughts and ideas for how we can present ourselves at other events going forward. The contacts we made have already proved very fruitful in just a few weeks, and weâre developing new relationships with several organisations to further our campaigning work. Wherever ADCH 2025 happens to be, we really hope weâre there too!
Heads for Tails! is our hugely successful umbrella campaign that saw pet reforms included in the late, lamented Renters Reform Bill, which sadly never became law.
A simple change to existing legislation is the key to more landlords becoming pet friendly, and thatâs why we were able to secure such widespread political and corporate support first time around.
Whether itâs talking to the general public, clients,...
