The number of pet owners attempting to rehome their dogs has risen sharply this year, according to figures from the Dogs Trust, with shelters facing long waiting lists and many setting up pet food banks.
Between 1 January and 31 October, the animal charity received 42,000 inquiries from dog owners about rehoming, a rise of almost 50% on the same period in 2021.
Amanda Sands, centre manager at Dogs Trust Leeds, said she had never seen such high demand in three decades of working at the shelter.
“There’s people bringing in their dogs that at one time would’ve said: ‘I will never give my dog up.’ And they meant it,” she said. “And now they’re faced with the situation where they have no choice. To have to say goodbye to your friend, it’s unbearable. It’s unthinkable.”
The Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH), in conjunction with ITV’s Tonight programme, surveyed more than 60 animal shelters across the country about how they were responding to the cost of living crisis.
The figures showed 92% of shelters were seeing more people wanting to hand over a dog compared with pre-pandemic levels, and 88% were seeing more people wanting to hand over cats. More than half were planning on opening pet food banks to respond to the crisis, and 30% were thinking about providing low-cost or free veterinary care.
The RSPCA has also previously reported a 24% increase in pets being rehomed this year as shelters report they are “drowning in animals” amid the cost of living crisis.
About 75 families use the food bank at the Blue Cross Animal Hospital in Grimsby every week.
Mark has been using the food bank for several months to help pay for specialist dog food for his staffordshire bull terrier Roxy, which has helped him save £60 a month on food. “She’s part of the family. We’d sooner go without ourselves then give Roxy up,” he told the Tonight programme.
A YouGov and Dogs Trust poll, in conjunction with Tonight, also found that 48% of dog owners say they now find it more difficult to give their dog everything they need because of the cost of living crisis. Vet bills topped the list of concerns, followed by the rising cost of dog food and pet insurance costs.
