About The Blue Cross
- 1897 – A group of animal lovers founded Our Dumb Friends League – the original name for The Blue Cross – to care for working horses on the streets of London.
- 1900 – We bought the first horse ambulance to be used on London’s streets for £500, to transport injured animals to hospital.
- 1906 - We opened our first animal hospital in Victoria, London, thought to be the first of its kind in the world. It has never once closed its doors to needy animals since.
- 1912 – We launched The Blue Cross Fund to help animals during the Balkan War. We also helped animals in the First (1914-1918) and Second (1939-1945) World Wars.
- 1945 – To help servicemen bring dogs back from overseas, our boarding kennels in Blackheath, London, were used for quarantine purposes.
- 1948 – We launched national children’s dog shows to encourage children to care for their pets.
- 1958 – We became officially known as The Blue Cross.
- 1959 – We opened our new animal hospital in Grimsby.
- 1964 – After 13 years of campaigning, we successfully persuaded the Irish government to ban horse exports.
- 1991 – Our new head office in Burford, Oxfordshire, was officially opened.
- 1992 – We were the first animal welfare charity to employ an animal behaviourist to help owners with problem pets
- 1997 – We celebrated our centenary and Her Majesty The Queen became Patron.
- 1999 – Our animal hospital in Merton was officially opened.
- 2006 – We open our new equine welfare centre in Rolleston-on-Dove, Staffordshire.
- 2009 – We unveiled our new facilities at Thirsk and Southampton adoption centres
