Shocking figures released by the RSPCA today show the number of animals abandoned in England and Wales during the winter period has increased by 51% in the last three years.
Dogged work: the RSPCA is receiving an increase in reports of abandoned pets
Many “covid puppies” and “covid kittens”, acquired during lockdown in 2020 and 2021, had somehow lost their appeal once fully grown and people started to drift back to their workplaces in the week.
And the cost of living crisis has hit hard with soaring costs of pet food and related bills, too.
The RSPCA is preparing itself for what it calls “another bleak winter” for thousands of animals.
In the winter months of November 2020 to January 2021, the RSPCA received 3,071 animal abandonment reports in England and Wales. For the same period last year (November 2023 to January 2024) this rose to 4,630 pets reported to have been left to fend for themselves.
In total, 20,999 abandonment reports were made to the charity’s emergency line in 2023 and according to latest 2024 figures (available up until the end of October) 19,067 have been reported this year. At that rate, the RSPCA is anticipating up to 23,000 abandonments in 2024.
The RSPCA collates its figures on county-wide basis, and for inner and outer London, including Croydon, Sutton and Bromley.
- For outer London in 2021, there were 964 abandoned pets. This had risen to 1,116 in 2023.
- In inner London, the figures for the same period were 689 in 2021 to 865 in 2023.
Overall, across England and Wales, the RSPCA says, “It’s a shocking trend.”
The RSPCA believes the surge in pet ownership during the covid-19 lockdown and the increasing financial hardships due to soaring living costs have led to the increase in people dumping their pets.
The RSPCA expects the crisis to worsen as more people struggle with the increase in expenditure around Christmas time, coupled with an increase in energy bills.
RSPCA chief inspector Ian Briggs said: “We are seeing a shocking rise in the number of calls reporting pet abandonment to our emergency line during winter.
“Our rescuers are regularly coming across dogs in poor health, collapsed and left in isolated spots to suffer a lingering death; sick kittens discarded in cardboard boxes who are lucky to be found alive; or pet rabbits dumped in the wild with little chance of survival against predators.
Second chance: the RSPCA reports increasing incidences of boxes of kittens just abandoned outside its charity shops
“We are increasingly coming across pets who have been left locked in homes alone after their owners have moved out, with many pets left in their own filth with no food or water, no one to care for them and no idea if anyone will come to help them.
“Thanks to the public supporting us we are able to rescue many animals, rehabilitate them and find them new homes – but to continue this life-saving work we need your help.”
The RSPCA says: “For those who find themselves struggling, there are many reputable animal welfare charities who can offer help and advice and we encourage anybody in a difficult situation to seek support.
“The RSPCA have launched a dedicated cost-of-living hub to signpost the help out there for owners and we also have more than 200 Pet Food Bank Partnerships across the country to support struggling pet owners.”
If you find a dog you believe has been abandoned, please contact your local authority’s stray dog service. You can find out more by clicking here.
And you can support the work of the RSPCA through their special Christmas appeal by clicking here.
“By working together, we can all help more animals, more quickly. We’re grateful to all animal lovers for helping to create a kinder world for every kind.”
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I’d just like to point out that Croydon’s exec Mayor Jason Perry cannot be blamed for people’s heartless abandoning of their pets as he no jurisdiction in this area and has not introduced any policies on pet ownership, or abandonment. That’s pet abandonment, not abandonment of responsibilities.