The RSPCA has seen a 73% increase in puppies being abandoned in a year – with rescuers also fighting to help a huge rise in unwanted pets after the festive season as the cost of living crisis worsens.
The increase in pet ownership over lockdown coupled with the cost of living crisis and the expected financial pressures, has led to a rise in pet abandonment.
And the RSPCA believes a decline in puppy sales – which spiked during lockdown – has caused unscrupulous breeders to dump dogs which no one wants to buy.
The unconditional love of a pet can be a source of emotional support for many – and there was a huge increase in people getting new pets during the pandemic to help reduce stress.
However, many are facing the struggle of having to potentially give them up due to rising energy bills and high prices – figures show people across the UK have found themselves torn between providing for themselves or their pets.
There were 711 puppies and breeding bitches abandoned in 2022, up from 411 in 2021 – a rise of more than 73% – this has risen further from 359 in 2020 and 275 in 2019.
In recent weeks, the charity has been helping a rising number of unwanted pets, with 3,260 animal abandoned since November 1 – a 14% increase on the same time the year before.
In the lead up to the festive period in 2021 there were 2,864 abandonments rising from 2,053 in 2020. So far since the New Year, there have also been 700 abandoned animals rescued by the charity.
Almost 50% of the RSPCA rescuers said most of the pet owners they are dealing with love their animals but simply can’t afford them, with 80% reporting they have already seen animals who are suffering as a result of the cost of living crisis.
Recent rescues include five American bulldog puppies who were dumped in a remote layby near Yarm, North Yorkshire, by two masked men on the afternoon of December 29.
RSPCA chief inspector, Mark Gent, who is investigating, said: “It may well be that these are puppies that have not been sold for Christmas and therefore they have become a problem rather than a source of money for someone, which has led to the decision to dump them.”
In Lancashire, an elderly Staffordshire cross collapsed in snowy conditions in the front of a house in Burnley just days before Christmas
The female dog was rushed to the charity’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital, she was put on a drip, but sadly her condition worsened and she had to be put to sleep by vets to prevent further suffering.
Deputy Inspector Amy McIntosh, said: “We suspect that this poor elderly dog may have been abandoned because her owners couldn’t afford to take her to a vet to have her humanely put to sleep.
“She was freezing cold as the temperatures had plummeted and was clearly in a very bad way. It was a very distressing sight to see an old dog – who presumably had once been a much loved pet – suffering out in the cold like this.”
In Hull, a litter of American bulldogs were found in a poor condition dumped in a box.
RSPCA inspector Claire Mitchell said: “The puppies were not well formed and the vet said they had rickets as a result of not being exercised. It looks like they were being kept in the cage as they had scratches all over their bodies as a result of climbing over each other.
“We took the four to the vets for overnight care and while it was touch and go at first, they are now okay and they are being looked after at York Animal Home.”
Down in Hertfordshire, a mastiff-type dog needing veterinary treatment was found abandoned near the RSPCA’s Southridge Animal Centres in Potters Bar on New Year’s Eve
RSPCA inspector Nicole Pendrell-Smith said: “This poor dog, who was clearly in need of veterinary help, was found left alone and tied to a gate near one of our centres.
“It’s heartbreaking to think that while so many of us were getting ready to celebrate the New Year, poor Teddy was left alone. We’re just relieved he was found and is now in our care.”
The RSPCA launched a winter fundraising campaign – Join The Winter Rescue – and has committed £1.5m to crisis measures – bolstering pet food banks schemes, providing help for struggling pet owners, and supporting smaller animal charities through the crisis.
It comes as the animal welfare charity carried out a polling of its rescue and care teams with the results highlighting fears animals will be facing a bleak winter.
RSPCA survey results have revealed that 93.7% of the charity’s rescuers fear there will be more abandoned and neglected animals as a result of the cost of living crisis.
A shocking 80% of the charity’s frontline rescue and care teams have already seen animals suffering as a result of the cost of living crisis, with 47.4% dealing with owners who love their animals but simply can’t afford them.
RSPCA inspectors, animal rescue officers, and care and rehabilitation teams from the charity’s centres and branches were surveyed about their concerns.
A spokesperson for the charity, said: “Being able to provide appropriate vet care for pets topped the chart for the biggest concern being seen by rescuers at the frontline of animal rescue with 97.9% having seen people who can’t afford vet care.
“Heartbreakingly, the survey also revealed that 61.2% have seen people who can’t afford to feed their animals, with a staggering 46.3% already having seen people being made homeless who are struggling to find accommodation which will allow animals.
“Of those surveyed, 67.9% have seen animals which were bought during lockdown who are no longer wanted by their owners.”
A total of 190 respondents took part in the survey, these included frontline inspectorate officers and rescue centre staff and representatives from local RSPCA branches.
The survey results also revealed some of the major challenges faced by RSPCA centres as they try to help as many animals as possible during the cost of living crisis.
Dermot Murphy, RSPCA Inspectorate Commissioner, said: “Our teams have seen families simply cannot afford to feed both themselves and the pets, while others have been helping families facing eviction who can’t find alternative accommodation that allows pets.
“Some of the very saddest examples are people who dearly love their pets and are trying their best in very difficult circumstances.
“We are doing what we can to help, especially trying to keep pets in loving homes, but as a charity we are struggling too.
“Our branches and centres are full to bursting and we have hundreds of pets waiting to come in so we can rehabilitate and re-home them.
We really need animal lovers to help us get through this crisis time by donating to us so we can continue our work. It’s a challenging time for animals and we’re asking people to help us help animals by joining the rescue and making sure we don’t let animals pay the price of the cost of living crisis this winter.”
The RSPCA has helped to produce some cost of living initiatives.
Pet food banks are helping struggling owners across England and Wales, RSPCA branches are partnering with local food banks to offer pet food to owners struggling financially
Tens of thousands of meals have been donated, transported and given out.
A big thank you to all those that responded to our cat food appeal! As you can see the residents are very grateful 😆❤️ pic.twitter.com/7i2A0I8TS2
— The SAA (@saarescue) February 3, 2023
The RSPCA are providing dedicated cost of living support – they have a telephone helpline to support callers who are worried about the cost of living crisis – 0300 123 0650 – open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
They have also created a dedicated Cost of Living Hub with practical help and advice on their website.
They are making sure their officers attend the most urgent calls and the frontline call takers/rescue teams are under pressure at the moment.
They are prioritising officers to attend the most urgent cases where their expertise is needed and others cannot help.
Welcoming new foster carers on board and recruiting more foster carers to free up spaces in their centres and branches for animals in desperate need.
It is one of the best ways to deal with capacity issues at centres, and great for animal welfare – a recent fostering media push has resulted in more than 140 applications.
They want to keep people with their pets where possible, and have also been campaigning against blanket bans in the private rented sector for pets.
Given the rising mortgage rates, there could be more people finding themselves in private rented accommodation and they don’t want anybody to face the difficult choice between finding accommodation and keeping their pets.
Cheryl Hague, a spokesperson for the RSPCA, said: “Our exciting new strategy – Together for Animal Welfare – has eight bold ambitions which will improve the lives of many millions of animals here and around the world by 2030.”
DogsTrust released a statement that said: “With the cost of living continuing to spiral, we’ve crossed the sad milestone of 50,000 requests this year from desperate owners asking us to take in their dogs.
“We’re sadly the most stretched we’ve been in our 131 years, with an influx of dogs whose owners can no longer afford them as bills continue to skyrocket. We’re concerned that a further 350,000 dogs may need to find new homes as the cost of living continues to rise.”
A new poll carried out by YouGov also revealed that a third of UK dog owners are worried that, as costs continue to rise in 2023, the crisis will impact on how well they’re able to care for their dog next year.
Asked what their biggest financial worry had been about looking after their dog in 2022, almost half of the respondents said it had been vet bills 46%, followed by the cost of dog food 18% and pet insurance 16%.
The survey also shows that more than six in ten (62%) of people who don’t currently own a dog think the rising cost of living would prevent them from getting a dog in 2023, with over a third (36%) saying it ‘definitely would’ prevent them, and a further 25% saying it ‘probably would’.
Find out more here https://www.rspca.org.uk/strategy
**APPEAL FOR INFO**
— RSPCA (England & Wales) (@RSPCA_official) January 27, 2023
Three sick pups were dumped by a man at a #GreaterManchester playground after asking children if they wanted them. 💔 Heartbreakingly, they were so poorly and didn’t pull through. 😢
📲 If you have any info please call 0300 123 8018 https://t.co/9gn5B2Jwjm pic.twitter.com/TGM8NzqKxC
