Meet the dogs of RSPCA Wakefield in need of a new home amid the cost of living crisis

Wakefield’s RSPCA shelter is among many across the country trying to them new homes. Meet some of the dogs looking for a family in the city. Over the past year, it is reported that many dog owners have been forced to give up their pets due to pressures brought about by the cost of living crisis.

Charities, including Wakefield’s RPSCA, say dog shelters are filling up at a rapid rate, with many of the pets struggling with medical conditions that are then affecting their chance of being rehomed. The branch has now reached full capacity accommodating 16 dogs prompting an appeal to the public to help.

Megan Rattray, the Animal Care Manager of the branch at East Ardsley, said: “We're getting more and more animals as people just can't afford the medication let alone any operations. Lots of the dogs up for adoption do have medical conditions which makes it hard to find them a stable home.”

In a recent poll, animal organisation Dogs Trust reported that 67 per cent of non-dog owners have claimed that the rising living costs would prevent them from adopting a dog. The survey showed 46 per cent of dog owners in the Yorkshire and Humber region thought they would find it more difficult to give their dog all they needed, compared to before the cost of living crisis began

Owen Sharp, Dogs Trust CEO, said: “Dogs Trust has been receiving a shocking and unprecedented number of calls from dog owners asking us to take in their dogs because they feel they won’t be able to see them through this crisis. Over the last month, we received on average 17 handover calls an hour from desperate owners feeling they’ve run out of options.”

Because of this, the poor pets struggle with abandonment, even though in many cases, it is out of the owner’s control. To express interest in the adoption or fostering of any of the dogs please visit the RSPCA Leeds and Wakefield website.