Feed my dog or child? Record calls from owners who can't afford a dog

 The Dogs Trust has received a record number of "handover" calls from owners concerned they can't afford their dogs, while the RSPCA has received more rabbits, cats and dogs than last year.

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As the cost of living crisis intensifies, pet owners are increasingly unable to afford their animals, according to welfare charities.

The Dogs Trust has received 15,000 calls this year from owners asking about the process of giving up their dogs for relocation.

The figure is up 54% from this year and is the highest since the charity's contact centre opened in 2014.

In the first five months of 2022, the RSPCA accepted 49% more rabbits, 14% more cats and 3% more dogs than in the same period in 2021. Its research shows that cat owners are most affected, and they are concerned about cost of living pressures.

Dogs Trust chief executive Owen Sharp said they were talking to families who were "compelled by financial circumstances to make impossible choices".

They even got a call from a woman who was "distraught because she felt she had no choice but to give up the family dog; she was faced with a decision to feed his or her baby," he said.

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Veterinary charity PDSA estimates the cost of keeping a dog to be between £50 and £80 a month. But this adds up to £25-30,000 over the dog's lifetime, including upfront costs like bed and lead, extra items like toys and poop bags, and pet insurance.

The RSPCA has warned that the country is "on the brink of an animal welfare crisis" due to the rise in pet ownership during the pandemic and the ensuing cost of living crisis, especially for low-income households.

"As we and other charities predicted, we're starting to see this ripple effect," Emma Slavinski, RSPCA's director of advocacy and policy, said in a statement earlier this summer.

"Sadly, we're starting to see more and more pets being abandoned and more cats and rabbits being rescued and placed in our care," she added.

A YouGov survey of 4,000 people, commissioned by the RSPCA, found that 78% of pet owners believed the cost of living would affect their animals, with nearly seven in 10 (68%) worried about rising care costs, and one in five (19%). %) worried about their ability to keep pets.

The Dogs Trust urges pet owners to get in touch with them before reaching a crisis point. Various forms of help are available from donors, volunteers, foster caregivers and adopters, the charity said, which shelters dogs until a new home is found for them.