About us
Our story
In 1988, a small group of animal lovers decided to take action to tackle the surge in the numbers of unwanted and abandoned animals in Thanet, and so the Thanet Animal Group - now known as TAG Pet Rescue - was born.
Starting in the homes and gardens of founders Chris Kiddell and Debbie Channing, TAG Pet Rescue looked after a diverse range of pet animals, from dogs to degus, cats to iguanas. No animal was turned away, and the ladies worked around the clock to care for them all. As demand for TAG’s help increased, it was clear that more space was needed than Chris and Debbie’s homes could provide and finding a site to build a proper animal centre on was essential.
Thanks to a wonderful local farmer named Rex Goodban, and his lovely wife Ann, in 2002 TAG Pet Rescue Centre centre was built on Rex’s land at Lydden Farm and became the first animal sanctuary in Thanet, Kent.
Our work
Today, we are the largest animal sanctuary in Thanet and take in the biggest variety of species. We rescue, rehabilitate and rehome dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, gerbils, degus, budgies, cockatiels, doves and tortoises - to name a few! Our birds all stay with us for life in our custom-built aviaries where they can live as a flock in an environment that is as natural and stimulating as possible.
Any animal that cannot be rehomed and requires long term specialist medical care is placed in a carefully chosen permanent foster home, fully supported by TAG. We have always strived to provide better than basic care for companion animals and to this day we are always reviewing and improving everything from our accommodation to our animals’ diets to ensure we are giving them the best life possible during their time with us.
We have 4 support shops, 8 staff, around 70 volunteers, and at least 200 furry and feathered residents - but this number is always changing! On average we rehome up to 150 cats, ?? dogs, 70 rabbits and 30 small animals a year, but we’re always looking to increase those numbers, something that is only possible with the help of our wonderful supporters.
Open day
For the welfare of our animals, we are not open to the public except on our annual open day which is always held on the first Sunday in September. Join us for our biggest and most spectacular fundraising event of the year, which is a celebration of animal rescue and rehoming and is fun for all the family!
It is thanks to the hard work and dedication of our supporters, volunteers, trustees and kind animal lovers that TAG has become the animal rescue and sanctuary it is today. See how you can be a part of Team TAG. We could not do it without you.
