Last updated at 16:07, Monday, 15 December 2008

ANIMAL shelters are facing a crisis this Christmas as the credit crunch causes the number of owners giving up their pets to soar.

Title
Author
Copyright

Description

Rescue centres and shelters are experiencing influxes of animals as more owners find themselves unable to afford pet food and veterinary bills.

Barrow Dog Pound has been one of the worst-affected centres, with 100 dogs coming through its doors in the past eight weeks.

Bill Burrows, warden of Barrow Dog Pound, says he has seen a dramatic rise in dogs being handed over or abandoned by owners who cannot afford to keep their canine companions.

Mr Burrows believes the problem will get even worse as owners give up pets to save pennies in the countdown to Christmas.

He said: “The credit crunch is causing people to cut back and unfortunately the dog is the first thing to go.

“One man came to me and said he cannot afford to feed himself any more, let alone his dog.

“Obviously a lot of people don’t want to give up their pets, they just do not have the money to keep them. There have been people phoning me in tears.

“There are 19 dogs here at the moment and only 20 kennels. We are really struggling.”

Mr Burrows also predicted that 2009 will be one of the pound’s worst years to date.

He said: “We usually have a lot of dogs coming in after Christmas because new owners can’t cope and a lot say they can’t afford vet bills, but after this year’s Christmas celebrations are over I expect it will get even worse.

“This year more than any other people really need to ask themselves if they can afford to get a dog, cat or any other animal.”

The cattery at Broadwater Kennels, a shelter based at Broadwater Farm, Bootle is full to capacity.

Owner Lisa Delaney has been forced to turn away cats in droves.

“I think the credit crunch may have had something to do with it. A lot of cats I am getting at the moment are quite old and their owners just don’t want them any more. Maybe they cannot afford to keep them.

“The other half of cats here have been found in people’s back gardens or wandering around the streets.”

Mrs Delaney has pleaded for kind-hearted people to give a home to one of the cats or kittens in the build-up to Christmas.

She said: “Our adoption services freeze in the week leading up to Christmas because we have to convey the message that a pet is for life, so any one who thinks they can adopt one of the cats needs to get in touch straight away.

“We need people to adopt desperately, it is full to the brim here, we even have waiting lists.”

Barrow Animal Welfare Centre, Church Street, Barrow has also had to turn away unwanted cats.

Diane Brunning, who runs the centre, said the problem has been evolving since Christmas, but is now proving worse than ever in the build-up to the festive season.

She said: “All over the area shelters are full. We are completely full, have cats with our fosterers and still more people are coming in with unwanted pets.

“Vet bills are very expensive and some people just can’t afford them. The credit crunch has had a bit of an impact especially leading up to Christmas.

“Above all else I am a cat lover and to turn cats out on the street because you have got nowhere to put them is heart-breaking.”

Elaine Montaghami, of Barrow-based cat shelter Animal Welfare, has also been overwhelmed with unwanted pets in recent weeks. She said: “The credit crunch has definitely had an impact here.

“Recently, there have been people bringing their cats in because they simply cannot afford to keep them. A lot of people have been very honest and said that they just don’t have the money any more, others have not said it out right, but you can sometimes tell it has probably been a factor for most people.

“It is a terrible shame to see people having to give up pets because they can’t afford them. Obviously they get very upset because I think that in light of the credit crunch pets are now sometimes being seen by owners as an added luxury. Giving them up is a way of cutting back.”

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: “We would always rather people let us know if they are struggling, do the responsible thing and don’t just leave your pet at the roadside.

“People should tell us if they’re struggling or can’t afford to feed their pet, we will always do everything we can to help. Although our animal centres pretty much run at full capacity most of the time, we will always do our best to re-home it.”

First published at 11:46, Monday, 15 December 2008
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk