The Scottish SPCA has launched a new initiative to support people and pets struggling due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Calls to the animal welfare charity's helpline to give up animals have more than trebled in the first half of 2022 and inspectors have provided support to thousands of people and their animals struggling to cope.
Now their new Pet Aid pilot will see regular deliveries of pet food commence this week to Hamilton District Foodbank, meaning Pet Aid is available to people in South Lanarkshire.
Scottish SPCA chief executive Kirsteen Campbell told Lanarkshire Live : “Pet Aid will provide an invaluable service to people and pets feeling the full brunt of the cost-of-living crisis.
“This year, our inspectors have had to support pet owners in some horrendous situations. We’re helping people who are not buying food for themselves so they can feed their pet, who are calling our animal helpline in floods of tears because they feel they’ve let their animal down.
“Pet Aid is part of our wider commitment to early intervention when it comes to protecting animals. Wherever possible, we will act to stop a person feeling they have no choice but to give up their pet.”
The Scottish SPCA has seen a rise in calls to give up the most commonly owned types of pets. In the first six months of 2021, the charity received 194 calls to take in a dog from an owner. In the same period in 2022, this figure has risen by 261 per cent to 700.
Over the last three years, the Society have taken in a total of 299 abandoned pets.
Pet Aid launches on the heels of the publication of the Animal Kindness Index, a joint research item with the RSPCA to understand attitudes to animals in different parts of the UK. That study, published in June, found 72 per cent of UK pet owners think the cost of living will impact their animals. Almost 70 per cent expressed concern about the cost of care, and one in five worried about how they’ll afford to feed their pets.
And the Scottish SPCA is committed to expanding Pet Aid to provide nationwide support to animals and their owners.
Kirsteen added: “Pet Aid will provide vital supplies of pet food to people. We’ll evaluate how the pilot goes, work with partners and speak to pet owners to understand what additional help they could benefit from. This will inform how Pet Aid grows in the months and years to come.”
A full list of foodbanks working with Pet Aid and more information about the pilot can be found here: https://www.scottishspca.org/pet-aid
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