about us

The National Animal Welfare Trust is a charity dedicated to caring for and re-homing abandoned and neglected animals.

NAWT, a national charity with a centre in Watford, takes in unwanted and stray animals - everything from dogs, cats, birds, rabbits and guinea pigs. The centre holds up to 80 dogs and 100 cats although we aim for our animals to stay with us for as brief a time as possible before they are re-homed and move on to a new life. However, even when we cannot find suitable homes, we do not put healthy animals to sleep. Dogs or cats that stay with us long term are accommodated in kennels or chalets that provide a comfortable, homely environment. We occasionally take in injured wild life that otherwise would not survive.

Facilities for animals include

• well equipped veterinary centre
• inoculations and neutering
• paddocks, open spaces and ponds
• clean, heated accommodation with outdoor access
• use of complimentary therapies where possible
• daily exercise provided by staff and volunteers
• life-enrichment procedures

There is a memorial garden on-site for those dearly loved pets that have now passed away.

Owners may purchase a plaque in memory of a much missed pet that they found through the Centre.

All dogs and cats are homed with an engraved identity disc giving the Trust's reference number and phone numbers.

All adult dogs, cats and rabbits will be vaccinated by us and treated for worms and fleas as necessary.

We take great care with the re-homing of our animals and get to know as much as we can about you as a prospective new owner and your home environment. We encourage all new owners to keep in touch with us to let us know how their pets are settling into their new homes and we will take them back into the centre if need be. We have a policy of matching an animal's characteristics to the lifestyle of its prospective owner, thus ensuring the best match for the future.

Why not visit us at one of our Open Day Events in September each year?

We are also open between 11:00am and 3:00pm daily except Wednesdays and will happily show you around our facilities.

As a charity we receive no state aid and so rely on the generosity of the public to enable us to continue our work. If you are able to support our work with a donation we would be very grateful. There are also opportunities for businesses to sponsor and support our Open Days and events.