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Animal charities ‘turning animals away’ as people give up their pets due to cost of living crisis
More and more people are finding themselves unable to afford to keep their pets
Animal charities have said their rescue centres are at breaking point as the cost of living crisis forces families to give up their pets.
As costs continue to rise to their highest levels in thirty years, countless families are being forced to make the heartbreaking decision as to whether or not they are financially able to keep their pets.
The crisis has also seen a rise in demand for pet food banks, with the demand for dry dog food being up by 105% and wet cat food by 297%, according to ITV News.
Animal welfare charity Blue Cross, which has centres across Greater Manchester and the rest of the country, has reported an influx of abandoned pets, with Sheffield’s January to March figures demonstrating a stark contrast to 2021.
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And since opening its pet food bank in Grimsby as part of a pilot scheme in January this year, Blue Cross says demand has been high, with around twenty-five families each week using the service.
Ryan Rouse, hospital lead at Blue Cross, said of the launch of the food bank: “Local businesses and other people in the local community have really supported with the pilot scheme.
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“And it’s grown bigger than what we could have anticipated in such a short period of time, so we are officially launching on June 22nd.”
However, he admitted that the food bank was more emotional than anticipated, saying: “I remember the first person who came in for the food bank, there were some tears amongst the team.
“Just that this is something that we can really make a difference.”
Thornberry Animal Sanctuary in Sheffield has also experienced a huge increase in the number of pets being dropped off.
Helen Connolly, who has worked at the sanctuary for five years, told ITV: “Things are incredibly difficult at the moment, we’re having to turn animals away, which is the last thing that we want to do at Thornberry.
“In my five years here, I’ve never seen it as busy with people handing over animals into our care.”