Tom and Zach’s story

Tom rescued Zach from a bad situation when he was a young pup and they’ve been inseparable ever since. ‘If I’m ever down or feeling a bit low or whatnot, you can’t beat a cuddle from your dog.’ 

When he was made redundant, Tom found himself in a difficult situation.

He was unable to care for Zach as he needed and unsure of where to turn to for support. That’s when he found our Pet Food Banks. 

He told us what Pet Food Bank support has meant to him and Zach;  

‘You guys are second to none. There was a time when I thought ‘I’m not going to be able to buy his dog food.’ He’s priority number one but I wasn’t going to be able to meet that priority. As soon as I came down and explained my situation, without question you had the right process, and you were there to help.’    

Zach also loves coming along to collect his Emergency Food Packs.

He loves coming into the office because he always gets a big welcome and a treat.  

Due to the high demand for our support, we’re not always able to meet Tom’s requests and he says that he appreciates our transparency as we do our best to get food for him the next day and let him know when we’re likely to have more food available.    

At first, Tom felt hesitant to ask for help but speaking to our team helped to ease his mind and he found the process of getting help ‘smooth and easy’, saying that the staff who helped him were ‘very knowledgeable’.  

Tom shares his advice for anyone who’s worried about reaching out for support:  

‘I would say, if you’re hesitant or embarrassed, don’t be, they’re there to help. There’s no judgement… I would say to phone and speak to you guys [Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home] and you guys will accommodate and help appropriately.’