Cost of living fuels rise in dogs needing homes, charity says

Cost of living fuels rise in dogs needing homes, charity says

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BBC A close up picture of the face of an American bulldog looking straight at the camera, he is white with a few dark markings on one ear, he has big jowls with white whiskers and is looking a bit sadBBC

Moose was caught by a member of the public after being seen wandering loose for a few days

On a wet December morning in Cornwall dog welfare and enforcement officer Jason Williams is off to collect a stray.

Moose had been running around in Troon near Camborne for a few days before somebody managed to catch him and report it to Cornwall Council so he could be taken to the National Animal Welfare Trust (NAWT) in Hayle.

Last year, the council said it received 486 reports of strays and worked with partners like the NAWT to make sure they all found a home.

The authority is reminding people to follow the legal requirements to make sure their pet’s microchip and ID tag is up to date.

A man wearing a navy raincoat, trousers and grey cap kneeling down next to a white American bulldog which he is holding on a lead. The dog has one paw up on his right arm and he is cupping his hand to give the dog a treat. They are inside a big room with a table behind with a blue tablecloth and various boxes on, there are some decorative blue plates on the wall.

Cornwall Council dog welfare officer Jason Williams said there was an increase in bigger stray dogs not being reclaimed by owners

As well as Moose, an American bulldog who is about two years old, the charity has three other dogs in need of homes – a rottweiler called Roxy, a chihuahua called Teddy and Frank the French bulldog.

“We are seeing an increase in larger breeds coming in here either as strays or people not being able to cope,” centre manager Louise Clarke-Payne said

“I think that’s mainly down to cost of living as obviously everything is more expensive from dog food to vaccines.

“The average length of stay is 65 days at the moment, some will whizz out in a fortnight and some stay longer.”

A close up of the face of a black French bulldog straight on to the camera and looking upwards - you can see behind the body of a person holding him dressed in a blue jumper

Frank the French bulldog was brought in to the National Animal Welfare Trust in Hayle for rehoming

Mr Williams said it was believed Moose had at least two homes already.

“The numbers are going up in terms of dogs not being claimed, ” he said.

“Maybe it’s too expensive to keep them and I think the XL Bully legislation made a difference and scared people off big dogs a bit.”

Moose has a microchip but it is registered to a previous owner who had rehomed him and the chip has not been updated.

‘Hopefully he’ll get a chance’

It is a legal requirement for all dogs in England, Scotland and Wales to be microchipped and for their details to be kept up to date.

Owners who fail to do this can face fines of up to £500.

Mr Williams said microchip legislation had been in place for a long time but dog owners still did not necessarily update it, leading them into a “dead end”.”

He said Moose would have about ten days of assessment before hopefully being ready for rehoming.

“He’s a bit nervous, but he seems like a sweet dog so hopefully he’ll get a chance,” he said.

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