What is the Senior Club?

The “Senior Club” is a permanent shelter for senior animals. We mainly house cats and dogs but when possible we can also provide shelter for other animals, if we are capable of giving the adequate care.

There are different criteria for cats and dogs in order to be admitted at our shelter for senior animals. One of them is their age compared to breed and they need to be in a situation where the owner is no longer capable to care for their animal at home (incontinence, walking stairs, giving daily injections to the animal or for example the fact that the owner him or herself needs to go to a home for elderly people and can’t bring the animal along)  Larger dogs can be admitted at a younger age than smaller ones.

The “Senior Club” is a division of NATIONAL ANIMAL CARE Wassenaar, founded in 1926 by several ladies-in-waiting of our former Queen Wilhelmina. In 1985, her daughter Princess Juliana opened the new building which now houses the “Senior Club” for dogs.

Two year later (1987) the “Catshouse” was opened housing our shelter– and boarding cats, as well as our senior cats (around 35), providing them with a cosy and warm environment.

Our cats have access to a centrally heated room with kitchen unit, which is decorated with furniture to create an environment similar to their home. Next to their indoor enclosure, they have free access to a covered part of their garden with climbing trees. From here they can wander into the large 250 square metre garden.

The premises for dogs can house as many as 50 dogs who live in packs of maximum 10 dogs in one of our five dog rooms. Every room is equipped with (central) floor heating, a bed for every dog and an outdoor enclosure to which the dogs have permanent access the entire day. Each room (pack) goes to the adjacent playground at least three times a day with one of our caretakers to play in the grass.

In 1997 a special “intensive care” was built where our caretakers can provide individual care for the sick animals who are too ill to stay in their pack. A regular vet visits the animals twice a week to discuss the problems and treatments of the sick animals with the senior caretakers.

Tariffs 2010

Because of the low ‘pension’ owners pay for the retirement of their animals, a large bulk of work is done by a group of motivated volunteers who fulfil an important social role, both for the animals and for the owners for whom it is often hard that they can not take care of their pet themselves anymore.

Pension tariffs for 2010:
dogs € 3,55 per day
cats € 3,15 per day
These prices do not include medical costs and are indexated every year.

Adoption fund

Unfortunately it still happens that an owner passes away without having arranged anything for their pets, or that they abandon their pets by not paying any longer for their needs. We also regularly have senior animals in our shelter for who we can not find a suitable home. For these animals we have our “Adoption fund”.

With this fund, everyone can (co-)adopt a dog or cat for (see price-list on the right) per year.

When you have adopted a dog or cat you will receive a photo with description, our magazine “Dierengeluiden” and what can be more fun than visiting ‘your’ animal occasionally! You can visit us seven days a week from 11am till 12.30pm and from 1.30pm till 3pm. Groups on appointment.

WANT TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER?

Our senior caretakers Rootje van Gulik and Suzanne Morton-Taylor (for dogs) and Judith Split (for cats) are more than willing to inform you about the possibilities of volunteering at the Senior Club. We have volunteers who take upon them the entire care of our animals for one or more days a week, and volunteers who come and assist us a morning or afternoon to walk, brush and cuddle the animals.
Both our dogs and cats thoroughly enjoy some extra attention! 

For our buildings, interior and our outside terrain we are always looking for skilled  people who can help us with maintenance and small reparations. 

Do you have a good promotional idea?
Please call Mark van Maaren!

GET YOURSELF INFORMED!