A leading dogs’ charity in Cardiff has said that they have witnessed more dogs being given up this year than ever before at the centre.
Dogs Trust in East Moors, which rehomes surrendered dogs, said the cost of living crisis has led to more people giving up their pets.
Andrew Upton, supporter relations officer for Dogs Trust, Cardiff said the number of dogs they are taking in has risen during the recent economic crisis.
He also said dogs are handed in throughout the year as opposed to just after Christmas, which used to be the case.
He said: “There is the slogan, ‘a dog is for life, not just for Christmas’ but I think in truth, over these past few years the cost of living crisis has meant that this affects people all year round.”
Cardiff’s Dogs Trust branch has also been receiving “increased calls” from people who can no longer look after their dog.
The charity now predicts it will rehome around 1,000 dogs this year, an increase of 200 from last year.
Dogs Trust has said that it is offering as much help as possible so people can keep their dogs during the cost of living crisis. This includes pet food banks which can be accessed via speaking to a member of staff at reception.
The charity said: “We are getting increased calls from people needing to hand over their dogs and we want to be able to be there for them, support them whilst also helping them.”
However, Dogs Trust isn’t the only organisation concerned with the increased surrendering of dogs.
The Chair of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ACDH), Giles Webber told the All-Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group that members of the association have seen a 92% rise in calls from people surrendering their dogs.
Eileen Jones, CEO of Friends of Animal Wales also added that her organisation had seen a 300 percent increase in these sorts of calls.
If you’re struggling to look after your dog because of the cost of living crisis, you can find support and advice here.