POPULAR dog kennels that have been open since 1968 are appealing for donations after a fire gutted part of their premises.

Cary Kennels In Denbury, Newton Abbot, has been welcoming pets and rescues to provide emergency boarding for decades, until a fire burnt down two of their buildings last week.

The kennels are now appealing for donations to replace much needed equipment such as a washing machine and freezer.

Andy Deacon, who runs the kennels, was saddened by the fire, but was grateful that the fire had not stopped the business from operating.

He said: ‘On the Monday morning, something – possibly an electrical fault from inside the corner of the washing machine – burnt down two of our buildings. Luckily the kennel block was undamaged.

‘We needed those burnt buildings to operate but we’re managing to work around the problem.

‘Due to the lockdown we haven’t been as busy as normal, so working around them has been slightly easier than it otherwise may have been.’

Online fundraising efforts have reached almost £2,000.

If you would like to make a donation to help the kennels to keep going, please visit: www.justgiving.com and search for: ‘Cary Kennels’.