MAKE: Scented Doggie Bags for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home!

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home are calling on all you folk who are a bit nifty with a needle and thread or keen to learn how to sew to use your skills to help them by making scented doggie bags to keep some of its 500 dogs calm in kennels while they wait for loving new homes.

As you can imagine, being in an animal shelter isn't the most ideal environment for any animal, which is why organisations such as Battersea do what they can to make the animal's environments just that little bit more interesting. The doggie bags are part of Battersea’s kennel enrichment plan which aims to bring variety into the dogs’ day through the use of different smells, tastes and sounds to help reduce stress in the kennel environment.

The scented bags feature a Staffordshire Bull Terrier motif as part of the Home’s campaign to show the softer side of the breed and have been designed exclusively for Battersea by designer and author Helen Philipps. She says: “These scented bags are so cute and very easy to make, so even if you’ve never tried sewing before this is a great project to start on. It’s also a fun way to help a good cause – it won’t cost you much but will make a big difference to Battersea dogs.”

The scented doggie bags will be hung in the dogs’ kennels and can be filled with various dried herbs such as lavender. Claire Matthews, Canine Welfare Trainer at Battersea adds: “Not only will the doggie bags bring a bit of variety to the everyday smells in kennels, but they will also look really nice hanging in the dogs’ kennels and hopefully make the dogs stand out to potential new owners looking around!”

If you'd like to support Battersea by putting your sewing skills to good use, you can find out more and download a doggie bag pattern by visiting www.battersea.org.uk/doggiebags or emailing fundraising@battersea.org.uk if you have any queries.