A dog shelter founder in South Wales has spoken of “an unprecedented crisis” as owners dump their animals in the wake of the cost-of-living crisis. The Daily Mirror reports that Vanessa Waddon established the Hope Rescue in Pontyclun, South Wales, in 2005 and now says that the sheer number of dogs being abandoned is staggering.
She said: “We can see a system that’s already bowing under the constant pressure of abandoned dogs coming in, with owners often lying and claiming they are strays, while other desperate owners are pleading with us to take their dogs in as surrenders on a daily basis. This is before we even consider the huge spike in dogs we’re taking that have been seized from illegal and low-welfare breeders who capitalised on the boom in demand.
“We’re not the only animal welfare charity struggling with this problem right now. Many rescues across Wales are reporting the same issues and simply cannot keep up.”
Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest canine charity, received 4,37 inquiries about animals being rehomed in the past month alone. Hope Rescue estimates that it costs an average of £1,500 a year to keep a cat as a pet and between £2,000 and £3,000 for a dog - a price that will only keep rising.
Dog ownership surged by 1.5 million during the pandemic but this has sparked a crisis as the cost of pet food and medical care spirals. Some owners are too ashamed to give up their pets for rehoming, so claim they are strays.
Vanessa added: “We know we’re seeing fake strays come into our care because we are being told by neighbours and friends that they recognise the stray dogs we post on our social media pages. Or they send us adverts of the dogs being advertised for sale the day before.”
She said taking strays is more expensive and time consuming because there is an obligation to get medical tests done - and animals without a history are harder to place in new homes. This extra cost places a further strain on services as the charity faces soaring bills for food, medicines, laundry and heating.
Vanessa said: “It’s taking a huge emotional toll on staff, having to say to people who are struggling that we can’t take their animal, when in the past we could have rehomed them. It’s heart-breaking because they know these animals might end up being put to sleep.”
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