Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary

19/09/2025

Last chance to nominate Crosskennan for the next Benefact £1,000 draw!

Please consider nominating us by midnight this Sunday 21st September via the link below. Your vote could make the difference 🙏

Nominate a charity for a Movement for Good award now.

18/09/2025

🐾 Rehoming - Marley 🐾

Marley is a 2 year old, KC registered, Golden Labrador looking for his forever home.

💛 About Marley:
• Excellent temperament – gentle, loving and loyal
• Fantastic with children (raised around little ones since 12 weeks old)
• Loves cuddles, family time and being close to his people
• He can live with other dogs (a meet & greet would be required pre-adoption).

He loves:
• Long walks and adventures
• Playing fetch with his ball
• Trips to the beach – swimming is his favorite!
• Spending time with his family and being part of everyday life

Training & Behavior:
• Walks well on the lead
• Very smart and quick to learn
• Loyal, affectionate and eager to please

Marley would thrive in a loving, active home with someone who can give him plenty of attention, exercise and stimulation. He’s a true family dog who will fit perfectly into a household that enjoys the outdoors as much as he does.

⸻

⚠️ Please note: Marley is being rehomed through our Home from Home scheme and is not at the sanctuary.

If you think you could provide Marley with the right home, please apply here:
👉 https://www.crosskennanlane.co.uk/dog-re-homing-application

PLEASE NOTE – HOME FROM HOME: Marley will remain in his current home until a new home is found.

Unfortunately, due to the large number of applications we can receive per dog, we may not be able to contact every unsuccessful home.

Adoptive homes will only be considered in Northern Ireland. We are sorry we cannot accommodate further afield, but this ensures we can carry out effective home checks and you have a chance to meet Marley before adoption.

15/09/2025

🆘 We Need BIG Towels!

Towels don’t last at the sanctuary — they are used daily, washed multiple times, and wear out quickly. If you are having a clear-out, please consider donating large bath towels or bath sheets. The bigger the better! 🛁🐾

⸻

If you’d like to gift something, here’s a list of the things we use regularly — and urgently need

🐴 Horses (Equine)

Feeds (essential)
• Bailey’s Everyday High Fibre Cubes
• Bailey’s Everyday High Fibre Mix (yellow bag)
• Dengie Alfa-A (yellow bag, chopped alfalfa)
• Dengie Hi-Fi Light (chopped fibre)

Supplements (essential)
• NAF Respirator Powder
• NAF Glucosamine 12,000 + MSM
• NAF Devil’s Relief Liquid
• Equine America Airways Liquid
• Hestavagard Pro-Fix Digestive Supplement

Medications (accepted donations)
• Danilon – individual packs if unopened/sealed
• Prascend – individual packs if unopened/sealed
(You can also donate directly to our vets to help cover prescription costs.)

Topical Care (essential)
• Animalintex Poultice
• Vet Wrap
• Botanica Anti-Itch Cream (Concentrate)
• Botanica Cream
• Botanica Healing Wash
• Anicura Horse Gel Ointment
• Anicura Horse Spray
• Red Horse Products Artimud (hoof putty)
• Sudocrem
• Vaseline / Petroleum Jelly
• General sprays (fly sprays, wound sprays, etc.)

Treats & Extras
• Apples – ✅ sweet/eating apples only
• ❌ no crab apples or cooking apples (too acidic for many horses, unsuitable for those with digestive issues)
• Carrots
• Pears
• Horse licks (Horslyx tubs, Likit holders & Likits)
• Dengie Horse Treats

🐶 Dogs

Essential Foods (always used)
• Butcher’s – Grain-Free Tripe Loaf Recipes (tins)
• Butcher’s – Grain-Free Succulent Recipes (trays)
• Scrumbles – Gut-Friendly Wet Dog Food (Chicken, Salmon, Turkey)
• Lily’s Kitchen – Countryside Casserole (dry food)

Treats (always used)
• Scrumbles – Gut-Friendly Dog Treats (Salmon Softies)
• Wagg – Cookie Bites (yellow pack)

Supplements & Specialist Treats (always used)
• YuMOVE – Joint Care for Senior Dogs
• YuMOVE – MAX Strength Joint Supplement
• Nutripet – Anti-Itch & Immunity Treats
• Nutripet – Pre-, Pro- & Post-biotic Treats
• Nutripet – Calming Treats
• Anacura – Anti-Itch Chews
• Stop Bloody Scratching Treats

Skin & Coat Care
• Anacura – Itchy Skin Dog Gel
• Anacura – Itchy Skin Dog Spray
• Anacura – Dog Gel Ointment

Other brands

Other branded dog foods, wet or dry, are accepted as donations and used when suitable.

🐱 Cats

Essential Dry Foods
• Purina Pro Plan – Adult Delicate Digestion (Turkey)
• Purina Pro Plan – Sterilised Adult Vital Functions (Salmon)
• Purina Pro Plan – LiveClear Anti-Allergen (Turkey)
• Royal Canin – Shelter Cat Food (rescue mix, white bag)
• Purina ONE – Dry Food (various flavours)
• Whiskas – Dry Food (Chicken, Tuna)

Essential Wet Foods
• Felix – As Good As It Looks (in Jelly or Gravy, all ages)
• Felix – Original (all ages)
• Whiskas – Fish Selection (all ages)
• Whiskas – Chicken & Turkey (all ages)
• Purina ONE – Wet Food (various flavours)
• Purina Gourmet Gold – Succulent Delights (with Chicken)
• Purina Gourmet Gold – Mousse (with Salmon)

Treats (always used)
• Webbox – Lick-e-Lix (Yoghurt, Liver Sausage, Cat Grass)
• Webbox – Tasty Stix
• Dreamies – Cat Treats (classic crunchy, various flavours)

Extras / Enrichment
• Fresh or frozen meat/fish (chicken, ham, tuna, etc.)
• Catnip

Other brands

Other branded cat foods, wet or dry, are accepted as donations and used when suitable.

🧴 Cleaning & Hygiene Supplies
• Washing powders / laundry detergents (3–4 loads/day)
• Washing-up liquid
• Hand soap
• Disposable gloves
• Reusable gloves (kitchen/yard type)
• Bin bags (all sizes)
• BIG bath towels & bath sheets (always needed!)
• Sheets & duvet covers
• ✅ New duvets accepted
• ❌ Used filled duvets not accepted (see below)
• Dust masks (non-medical, for hay/hen areas)
• Fly/pest sprays
• Bleach
• Bathroom cleaner
• Urine Stop disinfectant
• Kennel disinfectant
• Laundry neutralising detergents
• Mops & mop buckets
• Scrubbing brushes, sponges, cloths

🌾 Bedding & Forage (donations always welcome)
• Shavings
• Hay (any size bales)
• Haylage (any size bales)
• Straw
• Puppy pads / training pads (XL + XXL)
• Cat litter – any type (we use primarily wood pellet, but can use most types apart from paper)
• Towels, duvet covers, sheets

🛠️ Yard & Equipment
• Wheelbarrow wheels (yellow puncture-proof)
• Wheelbarrows (single-wheel, two-wheel)
• Yard brushes, floor brushes
• Grooming brushes (horses, dogs, cats)
• Buckets (14L, 40L+ trugs)
• Feed skips (rubber, 10–20L)
• Hay & water buckets (40L+ trugs)
• Heavy-duty storage boxes (XL)
• Hand shovels, yard/stable shovels
• Shavings rakes & forks (for rubber/non-rubber matting)
• Pitchforks
• Gloves (disposable & yard)
• Whiteboard markers
• Feed bowls (metal, plastic)
• Litter trays (large, ideally with lids)
• Large water containers (~1000L IBC tanks) for soaking hay

🎲 Toys & Enrichment
• Jolly Balls (dogs & horses, 4”+)
• Cat activity centres / scratching posts
• Catnip toys, balls, feather toys
• Horse treat balls, hay balls, boredom breakers
• Chicken treat balls
• Small animal treat balls/skewers
• Likit holders & refills
• Horse balls
• Tug toys, treat toys, boredom breakers
• Soft toys (cats & dogs – sanctuary will sort suitability; ❌ not soft plastic/rubber shreddable types)

❌ Not Accepted (and why)
• Go-Cat (cat food): unsafe, has caused repeated health issues in cats.
• Rawhide (dog chews): dangerous, choking/digestion hazard, always disposed of.
• Half-used medicines: unsafe; only sealed, unopened packs (e.g. Danilon, Prascend) can be used.
• Used duvets & pillows: filled bedding carries scents (undetectable to us, but not to animals); even after repeated washing dogs/cats usually p*e on or destroy them. ✅ New duvets are accepted.
• Soiled/stained bedding: we have been donated blood, urine, and poo-stained items; unsafe and unpleasant. Volunteers cannot be asked to handle these. Absolutely no.
• Crab apples & cooking apples: too acidic for many horses with digestive issues; often refused or cause upset stomachs. ✅ Sweet/eating apples are safe.
• Paper cat litter: not suitable for sanctuary use.

📦 How to Donate

Donations can be sent directly to:
Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary
26 Crosskennan Lane
Antrim
BT41 2QY

Or dropped off at the sanctuary during opening hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday — 10am to 4pm

If you would like to know more, or to arrange a drop-off outside these times, please email:
📧 [email protected]

Thank you so much for supporting the animals! 💕

15/09/2025

✨🐴 Junior Volunteer Inductions Are Back! 🐴✨

Do you know a young person aged 12–17 who loves animals, wants to learn new skills, or is simply looking for a friendly place to make a difference? 💜

We’re running Junior Volunteer Inductions on:
📅 Saturday 20th September
📅 Saturday 11th October
🕚 11:00am – 12:30pm

👉 Parent/guardian attendance is required for the induction.
👉 Volunteers aged 12–13 will also need a parent/guardian to commit to attending alongside them on volunteering days (due to supervision ratios).

🐎 Our junior volunteers primarily work with our horses, ponies, and donkeys, but there may also be opportunities to meet and help with our dogs and cats (depending on assessments).

💡 How it works:
• A minimum commitment of 2 hours per session (many choose to stay longer).
• We post available volunteer slots weekly – usually a weekday afternoon and all day Saturday.
• Volunteers can choose what suits them best, with regular attendance encouraged.
• No horse experience needed – just bring a willingness to learn and get stuck in!

🌟 Why join?
• Make new friends
• Gain animal care skills
• Build confidence & experience
• Collect volunteering hours for school, DofE, or CV
• We’re happy to provide references too!

📧 To book your spot, please email [email protected] with:
• Name & Date of Birth
• Age
• Any experience (not required!)
• Interests or reason for volunteering
• Parent/guardian details (if they’d like to volunteer too, let us know!)

After the induction – and all the scary health & safety talks 😅 – you’ll meet the supervisor and, if you’d like to continue, complete an application form (under 18s will need a parent/guardian to sign with them).

This is a fun, safe, and educational opportunity for any young person wanting to grow, learn, and be part of something special. 🐾

***if you have previously emailed about junior volunteering and are still waiting to start please email again. We only have so many spaces each year/term. So we can usually only take on once individuals have either moved up due to age or away (usually for education/work).

🔹 Need more support?
If you’re not sure whether Junior Volunteering is the right fit, please still get in touch. We also run Supported Participation Sessions for young people who need extra help, with trained staff alongside them. These are safe, supported sessions (£10 per person, or from £25 one-to-one) and in some cases can lead into Junior Volunteering.

14/09/2025

💚 Thank you to Adomas, Sarah, and Chloe for bravely taking on the drop at the Europa Hotel Abseil today! 🪂🐴🐾

You’ve done an incredible job representing Crosskennan and the animals who can’t do these things for themselves. We are so proud and grateful for your support. 🌟

👉 There’s still time to support!
Donate via Adomas’ fundraiser here:
https://www.facebook.com/donate/1491779535590999/?fundraiser_source=external_url

Or, if you’d prefer not to use Facebook, just drop us an email at [email protected] and we’ll help you through.

Every pound raised helps us feed, care for, and protect over 100 animals at the sanctuary. 💚

14/09/2025

Great afternoon yesterday meeting donors at our Sponsor Animal Visitor Day. We are so grateful for your support and kindness.

Thankyou to Anne-Marie Wallace also for taking time to come up to interview us for her BBC podcast. Looking forward to hearing it 🙏

12/09/2025

🌟 Thank You, Sanctuary Supporters! 🌟

We’ve had some incredible help this week and wanted to share our gratitude 💛

🫶 A big thank you to those who sent in Airways Solution—we had a couple of bottles arrive just when we needed them most!

🌿 We also received two large 5L tubs of Botanica Cleansing Wash, which are invaluable for our horses’ skin health and first aid.

💊 Thanks to your donations, we’ve also been able to order:
• A bottle of ProFix
• Another Airways
• Poultices and vet wrap
• A tub of Glucosamine to support our older equines’ joints.

🎄 And of course, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has already contributed towards our Christmas Ballot—prizes, donations, and all! We’re so grateful for the early support.

📸 Swipe to see some of the items you’ve helped us secure!

📝 More Thank Yous Coming Soon…
We’ve still got a few more thank yous to share—just waiting on some final details! If you’ve sent something recently and haven’t seen it mentioned yet, please know we haven’t forgotten you.

If we ever miss anyone by accident, please know how truly grateful we are for every bit of support—whether it’s a donation, a share, a kind message, or a visit.
You keep us going, and we never take that for granted. 🐾

12/09/2025

🎉 Thank You Tesco! 🐾🛒

A huge thank you to Tesco for their generous donation of cat food, dog treats, toys, and more! Your support helps us care for our many residents and foster animals—and it means the world to us. 💛

🐶 Charlie, our resident dog, couldn’t resist showing off the goodies in a little thank-you video—alongside a few grateful meows and tail wags from our furry friends. 🐾🎥

Your kindness keeps tails wagging and tummies full. Thank you for thinking of us!

12/09/2025

Just a message our Manager Lyn's personal number is out of action please leave a message on the answerphone

12/09/2025

💕

12/09/2025

Do you regconise this little girl?

11/09/2025

🐱 Stray or Abandoned Cats 🐱

We get requests every week to take in strays or abandoned cats. We do our best to help and rehome, but the sanctuary is often at full capacity.

If a stray or feral cat turns up in your garden, there are simple ways you can make a difference:
• Take them to a vet to scan for a microchip – it could reunite them with their family.
• Offer food, water and shelter – even a dry box with a blanket can make the world of difference.

We recently heard about a cat living at a local service station. She’s been given her own little house, a hot water bottle and is fed daily. An amazing way to help a little cat in need.

And remember – if there’s a cat in trouble, we’re always here to advise, refer and assist with rehoming. You can also make use of our Home from Home program!
📧 [email protected]