“A Perfect Storm”: Sharp Rise In Abandoned Pets As Cost-Of-Living Skyrockets In UK

There has been a “sharp rise” in abandoned pets in the UK as the cost-of-living has skyrocketed, according to the Hope Rescue Center in south-east Wales, which says it’s received 300 calls in the past 90 days from people who can’t afford to keep their animals.

According to the center, the abandoning of pets was caused by a “perfect storm” of increased dog ownership during the pandemic, combined with surging rents and other costs of living.

According to the BBC, UK households bought 3.2 million pets in the first year after the lockdown.

Rolo, a one-year-old terrier is one of the many dogs at the rescue centre.

He was brought by a dog warden as a stray, with very little known about his background.

The centre said although he was very friendly, he could get overwhelmed in some situations, so needs a gentle approach.

The centre’s owner and founder, Vanessa Wadden, said Rolo was one of many and the situation was the worst she has seen 17 years.

“In the last three months alone we’ve had over 300 calls from people asking for our help,” she said.

“It is very dramatic, it is a perfect storm.

“We are having to turn dogs away and that is the hardest bit, it is heartbreaking.” -BBC

According to the report, rescue centers across Wales are struggling to cope with the surge.

“There are circumstances where we can’t always help, we can’t always take the dog in there and then, but we would urge owners to always pick up the phone,” said Hope Rescue’s Katie Bull.

“We can always offer advice if you are struggling to feed the dog, or struggling with medical costs and we can also put people on the waiting list.”

At the Cardiff Dogs Home, the number of strays, surrendered and unwanted dogs has been rising on a daily basis – and they’ve seen record inquiries.

“The demand has been quite striking for lots of different reasons,” said manager Maria Bailey. “We are getting about 40 to 50 calls a month. Between April and July this year we have taken in 225 dogs, that is roughly 56 dogs a month at the moment so we are pretty much full all the time.“