RSPCA calls for more fosterers to take on increasing number of unwanted pets
ITV News Anglia Hannah Pettifer reports on how the cost-of-living crisis is hitting pet owners
The RSPCA is calling for more fosterers to come forward to help the charity cope with the growing number of animals being looked after in its shelters.
The organisation said it had seen a rise in the number of pets being abandoned as the rising cost of living left owners unable to afford them.
The RSPCA Danaher Animal Home in Wethersfield in Essex is at capacity most days - and is caring for more animals than it has ever seen.
From guinea pigs and rabbits, to full grown cats and dogs, the centre is now caring for 200 animals.
In the last year, the home was flooded with unwanted pets, most of them having been taken on during the covid lockdown. But now they are finding people are giving up their animals because, as bills soar, they can no longer afford to keep them.
Fewer people are also wanting to adopt, which also has a detrimental effect on animals kept in the shelter for longer periods.
"It's hard knowing there's a large amount of animals that need our help but then it's also very difficult if homing has slowed down to get those animals out to make room for those animals to come in," said Sam Garvey, manager at RSPCA Danaher Animal Home.
"Often animals that spend a lot of time here develop problems that they may never have had, issues become bigger and greater than before.
"Even though we try to make it as homely as we can, it is a kennelled life which for most animals is not ideal at all."
The RSPCA is now calling for more people to become fosterers who temporarily look after animals in their homes to free up space in the shelters.
They are supported financially by the RSPCA until a permanent home is found, which usually takes between two to three weeks.
Suffolk and Essex is one of the regions with the highest numbers of animals already in RSPCA foster homes.
Forty animals are currently being fostered in the region out of the 700 animals nationally.
But it comes at a cost to the charity - it is now having to fund £26,000 a week to cover the fostering costs.
Anne Jones is a long-term fosterer from Southend. Over the past 10 years she has fostered 100 dogs, most recently, a mother with a litter of 13 puppies.
"I just like having them around. When I got two dogs, I thought 'oh my goodness', and now sometimes I might have six or seven in the house," she told ITV News Anglia.
Mrs Jones believes the dogs benefit greatly from being in a home environment, rather than in a shelter.
"When they're here, they get used to being in a home because often they haven't lived in a house before," says Mrs Jones.
"They learn from the other dogs about house training and they get socialised with other dogs and people. So by the time they go to their future home they start their journey towards being a normal dog instead of the lives they have had."
According to the RSPCA the number of animals rehomed last year - 26,945 nationally - is down by 8% compared to 2020, and by 31% compared to 2019.
As rehoming slows, the average length of stay for an animal in RSPCA care also increased.
Dogs spent an average of 85 days in care in 2020 compared to 93 days in 2021, an increase of 9.4%. A rabbit's average length of stay has also increased from 104 days in 2020 to 117 in 2021, an increase of 12.5%. However, a cat's average length of stay has remained the same at 67 days.
Those interested in applying to be an RSPCA fosterer can do so online via the RSPCA's volunteering portal at volunteer.rspca.org.uk.
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