London Dog Lover Launches a Matchmaking App for Rescue Pets

Animal lover Tara Hamdi has created a 'dating app for rescues' in a bid to help charities and rehoming shelters find loving homes for their cats and dogs.

Tara, who is based in London, came up with the idea for the unique free app 'Only Rescues' after her rescue dog Max died last year. 

Tara said that the death of her beloved Jack Russell Terrier cross hit her and her partner so hard she felt she had to do something linked to rescue animals. Tara has since paused the career she has built as head of fundraising for various charities over the last 15 years to pursue the innovative project. 

Only Rescues, which has already been shortlisted as a finalist in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards for Early Stage Stand Out, will allow animal charities and responsible rehoming shelters to upload photos and information of their cats and dogs to the app for free. The app will then match the available animals with potential owners. 

Animal lovers on the hunt for a new cat or dog will be asked to complete a lifestyle quiz when they enter the app. This will help Only Rescues to match the right animals with the right owner. 

Tara, who is originally from Bournemouth, said: "My partner and I were broken when our Max died last year. It was then we decided we had to do something for rescue animals and I paused my career of 15 years to concentrate on this.

"It was a scary thing to do, but the response we have had from rehoming partners and receiving the awards shortlisting before we had even officially launched, has been phenomenal. It has shown us that this was the right thing to do. There are 1.7 million dogs and cats waiting to be rehomed in the UK. We want to play a part in bringing that number right down. 

"We have joked that this is similar to a dating app, but it is really important for us that the right animals are matched with the right people and families. This is why we ask potential owners to fill out a 30 second lifestyle quiz when they enter the app. We ask a few questions that determine the right fit for the new owner's circumstances. For example, we ask whether they have a garden or not. If people don't have a garden, then they might not see dogs like Great Danes on their list of potential matches," she added.

Only Rescues is completely free for both rehoming partners and potential owners to register. Tara is keen to hear from charities and rehoming shelters who want to showcase their rescues. 

Charities and rehoming shelters who are interested in listing their animals on Only Rescues can contact the team on hello@onlyrescues.com.