PAWS: Rising cost of living is leading to an animal welfare crisis as people give up pets

Animal charity PAWS has expressed fears that an animal welfare crisis is being caused by a rise in pet ownership rates colliding with cost-of-living pressures.

The charity is seeing an increase in animals coming into its care with many Irish centres already full and others close to capacity, as rehoming slows down and more people are looking to give up their pets. 

The Tipperary-based charity, that rescues and rehomes abandoned dogs from all over Ireland has rehomed 126 dogs thus far in 2022, compared to 191 by the same date in 2021. We currently have 105 dogs in our care and an outstanding vet bill of over €48,000.

"At the core of what we do is the prevention or relief of suffering of animals. As many of the dogs rescued or surrendered to us are suffering due to illness, accidents, or indeed ill treatment, a necessary part of their care and welfare requires veterinary treatment," the charity said.

"We did receive some support via the Covid Employers Wage Subsidy Scheme, but we didn’t qualify for any other Government Covid supports. all of which were afforded to human charities. This assistance kept our small team operating throughout the pandemic. However, the subsidy was based on income being 30% below the equivalent period in 2019 (an almost impossible task for charities to predict) and in our case, a couple of one-off appeals and a legacy meant that we have been informed that we did not qualify for some of the periods, and we now find ourselves in the unenviable position of having to repay €25,000 to revenue in 2022."

Recent research by the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH) shows that demand for rescue dogs has declined in the past year while the number of dogs being abandoned is higher in 2022 than 2021 and 2020. Although there seems to be a variation in the evidence for cat abandonments there is strong anecdotal evidence to suggest that there is a similar trend for cats.

Some 70% of ADCH member rescues surveyed report an influx of dogs with behavioural issues.  This is in line with studies indicating that inexperienced dog owners are giving up dogs they acquired during lockdown and are now unable to care for, due to a variety of factors. 

Anecdotal evidence from members also suggests that there are similar reasons for the relinquishments of cats.This could be for many reasons such as post lockdown lifestyle changes and the rise in the cost of living which directly affects the ability for owners and new adopters to be able to pay for the care of their animal.  The charity says it sees an increase in relinquishment due to owners struggling to pay vet fees and a significant increase in the number of unwanted litters.

"The rescues are now struggling to cope, and we are now at breaking point," they say.