Animal rehoming falls as RSPCA launches Adoptober campaign - but Shropshire bucks the trend

The figures come as the RSPCA launches its annual Adoptober campaign, encouraging prospective pet owners to consider giving a rescued animal a new home as new national figures raise concerns that rehoming has slowed.

The animal welfare charity operates 14 national rehoming centres across England and Wales and supports a network of branches with an additional 45 animal shelters. The new figures show that in total rehoming has dropped eight per cent whilst animal intake is up 8.4 per cent.

But in Shropshire the total number of animals rehomed increased by nine per cent from 536 in 2020 to 586 in 2021. The number of cats rehomed increased by 14 per cent from 343 in 2020 to 391 in 2021; the rehoming of horses increased 28 per cent; rabbits went up slightly from 21 to 22, while other pets increased by 23 per cent from 44 to 54.

The only animals to decrease were dogs, with the number rehomed in 2021 40 per cent lower than in 2020.

Across England and Wales, the average stay for an animal also increased for dogs by 9.4 per cent - from 85 days in 2020 to 93 days in 2021 - and for rabbits by 12 per cent, with cats' length of stay remaining the same at 67 days.

Pet welfare expert Dr Samantha Gaines said: “It’s really concerning to see that animals are staying in our care for longer and that less are being rehomed year-on-year. Unfortunately, we believe we’re really starting to see the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

“Many of the animals - particularly dogs - who are coming into our care have behavioural challenges which could be linked to how they were bred as well as lock down limiting the amount of training, socialising and outside world experience they had.

“We’re also beginning to see more animals coming into our care because their owners simply couldn’t afford to care for them any more; or, in the most extreme cases, having been neglected or abandoned due to the rising cost of pet care.

“Sadly, this is coming at the same time that potential pet owners are deciding now is not the best time to take on an animal due to the soaring cost of living, and feeling they cannot financially commit to adding a pet to their family at such a worrying time.

“For those who are able to bring a pet into their home, we are urging them to really consider adopting rather than buying. Many of our animals will already be neutered, vaccinated and treated for fleas and worms - making it much more cost-effective - and we will work them to make sure they find their perfect match.”

For more information on Adoptober and the RSPCA go to rspca.org.uk.