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Rescue charity now dogged by 'fast buck' problem
DOG rehoming centres are being inundated with hundreds of unwanted puppies as owners look to breed their pets to beat the credit crunch.
Misguided attempts by dog owners to generate extra income by selling on puppies have left charities battling to cope with the numbers being left with them.
The economic slump has actually meant fewer people are willing to take on new pets, leaving the amateur dog breeders with whole litters of unwanted puppies.
The Northern English Springer Spaniel Rescue charity is facing the biggest crisis in its 30-year history with the number of dogs it is coping with.
Problems have been compounded by a lack of donations from the public as the credit crunch puts a squeeze of people's disposable income.
The charity's volunteers have seen the number of unwanted dogs they are dealing with soar from 200 animals in 2007 to more than 250 this year, even before the notoriously busy Christmas period.
Ten springer spaniels including a litter of seven puppies were handed in over the weekend to the charity, which has evolved from its northern origins and now covers the whole of the country.
Rhyannon Boyd, one of its rehoming co-ordinators based near Stroud in Gloucestershire, said: "Dog owners may think they can make a fast buck by turning their hand to breeding their pets, but that really isn't the case. There just isn't the market out there."
The Dogs Trust, the UK's largest dog welfare charity, has already dealt with 16,000 animals in the past nine months through its 17 rehoming centres nationally – an increase of 1,000 on the whole of last year.
Waiting lists to house unwanted animals at the centres have doubled to six months since the start of the year, and a base in Yorkshire on the A64 between Leeds and York has already dealt with 820 dogs in 2008.
Many owners have been unable to afford veterinary bills, and the Yorkshire centre has admitted four puppies needing major surgery in the past three weeks alone.
Head of communications Charlotte Speedy said: "It is worrying that people are trying to make a fast buck out of dog breeding because of the credit crunch, and we would urge anyone considering it to think again."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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