A quick paw through Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home’s history
1865 – In Victorian Edinburgh stray dogs were a huge issue and founders Dr John Brown and William Chambers started to advocate for a dog home as a solution to the problem.
Our History
In 1884 we first opened our doors to lost and stray dogs in Edinburgh, since then our love and care for dogs and cats in Scotland has kept going and going and going...
Dr John Brown
Dr John Brown was an animal lover who always kept dogs in his home. He was also a well-respected physician and member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh who went on to become a member of the Royal College of Physicians and an Honorary Librarian. A close friend of Mark Twain. in 1959 he wrote a book called ‘Rab and his Friends’ which tells the life of an Edinburgh street dog and went on to be hugely popular around the world.
William Chambers
William Chambers was a bookseller who went on to be a successful businessman and eventually Lord Provost of the city. William rescued a dog called Fiddy who he loved so much that he wrote a book about his life. After Fiddy passed, he had a relief created for her with the phrase ‘A tribute to truth, gentleness and affection’ engraved above it.
1884 – We first opened our doors at Comely Bank Gardens in Stockbridge as ‘The Home for Lost and Starving Dogs’
1900 – We moved to Broughton Road.
1926 – A new cattery was completed for £503 (around £30k in today’s prices!) and we became ‘The Edinburgh Home for Lost and Starving Dogs and Cats’.
1935 – As the city’s population grew, the Home opened collection depots across Edinburgh where stray or unwanted dogs and cats could be dropped off before being delivered to the Home.
1937 – With Broughton Road becoming more residential, there were more and more noise complaints against the Home, which led to our unfortunate eviction.
1957 – After a 20-year search, we found the perfect spot to call home. A former boating pond next to Portobello promenade in Seafield became the Home’s permanent residence – and we’re still here today.
1958 – We changed our name to ‘the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home’ and introduced pet boarding services.
1982 – We received a very special royal visitor to the Home – Princess Antoinette of Monaco. She even rehomed two of our dogs and flew them back to the French Riviera with her!
1989 – Legendary comedian Ronnie Corbett opened a new kennel at the Home.
1993 – Our first charity shop was opened in Portobello. Run by ‘the Friends of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home’, the shop helped raise much-needed funds.
1994 – The birth of our Whelping Unit, built to offer specialised care for expectant mothers and to provide a quiet place away from the main kennels.
1999 – We started offering microchipping to the public. This is a vital service which allows lost dogs and cats to be more easily reunited with their loving homes.
2000 – Mr Roy Connell, manager of the Home for 35 years, was awarded an MBE for services to animal welfare upon retirement.
2008 – We went digital with the launch of our first website.
2019 – We launched our Pet Food Banks providing vital resources like pet food, leads and blankets to help keep pets in loving homes where they belong.
Did you know?
Founder, William Chambers, personally paid for a dog license for Greyfriars Bobby so that he would always be safe to roam the kirkyard to his heart’s content.
The Home's connection to Greyfriar’s Bobby
2019 – We appointed our first ever in-house vet, Bridget O’Farrell, and announced a new partnership with Abercorn and Braid veterinary practices to provide the dogs and cats with better medical care.
2020 – We moved to an online rehoming process to protect our team and our animals during the Covid-19 pandemic. Unexpectedly, we found that this process reduces stress for the dogs and cats in our care and gives our team more time to focus on enrichment activities and individualised care, resulting in better rehoming matches!
2022 – We launched our new vision for the future of the Home, so we can keep going and going and going.
2024 – We celebrate our 140th birthday with all of our friends and supporters at our annual Community Day. And we’re still going strong!
Our Home Last Year...
-
318
pets rehomed and reunited.
-
660
spent on our helpline assisting pet owners and our community.
-
636,662
pet meals provided across East and Central Scotland.
Donate Now
By donating today, you will help us go on and on and on for many years to come.
Donate Now
Help Dolly Breathe
Dolly is a French Bulldog who needs vital BOAS surgery to allow her to breathe freely. Help us raise £3100 towards the cost of her treatment.
Read Article
Community Day 2026
A huge thank you to everyone who came along to Community Day 2026. Here are some of our highlights from the day.
Read Article