Kenilworth charity for rehoming dogs says 'UK is in an animal welfare crisis'after passing 'sad milestone' in 2022

Dogs Trust which has a rehoming centre in Kenilworth has announced that it crossed the ‘sad milestone’ of 50,000 requests last year from desperate owners asking the charity to take in their dog.

This is the highest annual number of handover requests in the charity’s history.

The charity’s CEO, Owen Sharp, has long warned that the animal welfare sector is facing a crisis, with more animals being given up than it has space to look after, since the cost of living crisis started to bite.

Dog’s Trust is the most stretched it has been in its 131 years, dealing with an influx of dogs whose owners can no longer afford them as bills continue to skyrocket.

It has voiced grave concerns that a further 350,000 dogs may need to find new homes as the cost of living continues to rise this year.

Meanwhile, a new poll carried out by YouGov on behalf of Dogs Trust has revealed that a third (33 per cent) of the UK’s dog owners are worried that the crisis will impact on how well they are able to care for their dog this year

Asked what their biggest financial worry had been about looking after their dog in 2022, almost half of the respondents said it had been vet bills (46 per cent), followed by the cost of dog food (18 per cent) and pet insurance (16 per cent).

The survey shows that more than six in ten of people who don’t currently own a dog think the rising cost of living would prevent them from getting one in 2023, with more than a third saying it ‘definitely would’ prevent them, and a further quarter saying it ‘probably would’.

Mr Sharp said: “Although it was inevitable that we would reach 50,000 calls from owners no longer able to care for their dogs, it’s still a shock and a stark signifier of the animal welfare crisis the UK now finds itself in.”

https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/our-centres/kenilworth