Dogs abandoned: Neglect at crisis record high, says Hope shelter

A “perfect storm” of a boom in dog ownership during Covid followed by the cost of living crisis has left a dog rescue shelter struggling to cope.

Hope Rescue, near Pontyclun in Rhondda Cynon Taf, has seen two litters of puppies abandoned this year, while other dogs have been left on mountainsides.

“Things are getting worse and that really is a crisis point – the number of animals far outstrips the capacity of rescue,” said Sara Rosser, head of operations at the centre.

More than three million UK homes bought bets during the pandemic, according to the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association.

Ms Rosser said the centre, which opened in 2005, is constantly at capacity, taking in more than 900 dogs last year.

“We were hoping that we would start to see numbers begin to reduce, but demand for rescue spaces is worse than ever,” she said, describing January as “relentless”.

She said there had been two cases of abandonments on mountains in the last week – with two German shepherds left in Bedwas and two “heavily matted” cockapoos neglected in Caerphilly.

“It is a real concern for us, the level of neglect and abandonments that we’re seeing,” she said.

She said the German shepherds would have died if they had not been caught and brought to the centre.

“It was freezing and these dogs haven’t got any body fat to protect them,” she said.

The centre has been running at capacity since last summer with more than 160 dogs, half of which are in the kennels and the rest with foster families.

“I still think we’re seeing the fallout from the huge boom in dog ownership during Covid,” Ms Rosser said. “We’ve got more dogs than ever before, we’re also seeing more people struggling with finances.”

“They’re not providing veterinary care, they’re losing their homes. It’s just a sad sign of the times that sometimes people are choosing to abandon rather than waiting for a rescue space.

“It is the perfect storm with more dogs and more owners struggling in the cost of living crisis means there are so many dogs that need the support of rescue centres,” she added.

This month the centre has seen a terrier called, Pilau, abandoned at local vets while still giving birth to six pups, one of which died shortly after.

A daschhund with four pups was also surrendered to a local vet who contacted Hope Rescue to take them in.

The puppies are only eight weeks old but have a chronic skin condition for which they are receiving treatment.

Mary Kate and Ashley, two cockapoos, were abandoned on Fochriw mountain last week with fully matted coats covered with faeces and skin sores and smelling of diesel.

Vanessa Waddon, chief executive officer at the centre, was also dealing with another dog arriving at the centre, Toasty, a shar pei crossbreed. He was abandoned in Merthyr Tydfil, having lost most of his fur and with open wounds on his body.

“We have never seen so many cruelty and neglect cases as what we are seeing,” said Ms Waddon, adding that Toasty will be checked by the vet before being assessed for a new home.

The rescue centre is urging people struggling to care for their pets to seek help as soon as possible to avoid causing unnecessary suffering to the animals.

“There is a belief that rescue centres can be too strict, but I’d say we have responsibility to the dogs and our adopters we want it to be successful so when we are asking questions it’s because we want to make sure it’s the right dog for the right person,” Ms Rosser said.