On September 11th 2014 just after 6.45 pm, a fire was detected by neighbours of the Manchester Dogs Home on Moss Bank Road, Harpurhey. As told on the uncharitable podcast (listen below) what was prioritised as a rescue attempt to save over 150 dogs at the premises soon turned into an investigation when evidence of an arson attack arose.

At around 6. 50pm, on a typical Thursday evening. Residents of Cleveland Road, directly behind the centre, witnessed plumes of smoke rise above the compound and rapidly spread through the streets.

As residents scrambled to raise the alarm. a passing officer who also saw the blaze rushed to the centre to assess the situation.

Not far behind were three men named Jason Dyer, Dean Rostock and Danny Veer who headed towards the cries coming from Adoption Row a block that housed rehabilitated dogs ready for their new homes. 

After wedging open kennel bars, the men grabbed as many dogs as they could before retreating to the carpark outside.

In an interview, Jason recalls seeing all the windows, close to the kennels blown out and the ceiling collapsed

"We initially ran into the bit that was on fire but we couldn't get those dogs out. We went to the other kennels and began kicking out the doors. We just wanted to get them out”

When firefighters arrived on the scene, a large portion of the block had already succumbed to the flume, sadly taking nearly 60 dogs with it.

News of the disaster quickly spread online causing concerned members of the public to inundate the centre with donations including tins of food, blankets, leads and water whilst others lined up to offer shelter to the surviving mutts. 

In a Facebook post, Manchester Dogs Home thanked the community for their support “ Words are not enough. Thank you, everyone, you have touched our hearts and surrounded us with love and we are truly grateful. With the help of fire and police, we were able to save approximately 150 dogs, but sadly lost around 50 to the fire”

To provide a further income stream for the charity Manchester Evening News set up a just giving page with £100,000 being raised in just under 4 hours. The next day £1million was donated.

Once the fire was contained it was evident that this was no accident. Soon after an investigation was launched, it was announced that a 15-year-old juvenile was arrested on suspicion of arson and placed into custody. However, less than 24 hours later the teenager was released pending further inquiries. 

Despite rumours circulating that other individuals may have been involved, the investigation came to no conclusion and remains unsolved to this day.

In 2017 work had finally been completed on a brand-new adoption unit costing 1. 6 million and comprising a light-filled atrium, a new reception area, and 32 individual kennels. Complete with a ventilation system.

Steve Mapley, who took over management of the home shortly after the fire said, “The fire is always on our minds. Every time I walk past that section of the kennels, I think of it. We can never replace the dogs that we lost”

If you have any information about the Manchester dogs home fire please contact: Greater Manchester Police