30 Aug 2022
Emma Billington, who runs Dogs 4 Rescue in Greater Manchester, has challenged both the prime minister and Conservative leadership candidates to visit the centre she calls “the most depressing place on Earth”.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Some of the dogs available for adoption at Dogs 4 Rescue (from left): Suki, Sadie, Daffy (top right) and Buddy.
The head of a rescue charity has demanded urgent action on the cost of living crisis to help cut the number of dogs being given up by owners.
Emma Billington, who runs Dogs 4 Rescue in Greater Manchester, has challenged both the prime minister and Conservative leadership candidates to visit the centre she calls “the most depressing place on Earth”.
The invitation came as Dogs Trust made its own plea for emergency foster carers, warning of a canine housing crisis amid the continuing squeeze on personal finances.
Vet bills have been identified as owners’ main canine-related money concern in its latest poll.
Dogs 4 Rescue, which said it will pay all costs for fostering, including vet bills, has 50 places at its centre in Eccles, all of which are currently full.
Although it does plan to open a second facility, which would eventually accommodate a further 80 dogs, Miss Billington said they can’t set it up because of the current level of demand.
Typically, the centre is now receiving around 30 calls a day from owners seeking help while six dogs, which it had previously rehomed, have been returned in the past month alone.
Miss Billington believes the puppy boom during the coronavirus pandemic, when many first-time owners took on a dog, has combined with the current crisis to create levels of demand for help they would only have seen previously over a period of two to three years.
She said: “I know from the fact we’re getting contacted at all how bad it is. I’d hate to be a vet right now.”
Miss Billington said the present level of need means the centre is being forced to turn dogs away on a daily basis, including one recent case of a four-month-old puppy.
Vet bills were highlighted as a common problem for owners seeking help and she admitted feeling like they were failing animals in need.
She urged would-be owners – particularly those who already have a dog – to contact their local rescue centres to see if they can find a suitable addition to their home.
She added: “I love my job, but this is the most depressing place on Earth at the moment. It is utterly soul-destroying because we know we are having to turn away dogs that are going to be killed because there is nowhere for them to go.
“People are worried, and I just wish the Government would act. The main worry people seem to have now is the cost of living – if there were measures to help then I imagine we’d see fewer dogs being dumped and our phones would hopefully stop ringing.
“I’d like Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, or Liz Truss to come and spend a day here, and take some of the gut-wrenching calls we are to snap them into doing something.”
The plea comes amid an ongoing battle, spearheaded by the Tuk’s Law campaign group, to make it a legal requirement for vets to check that a person presenting an otherwise healthy animal for euthanasia is registered on a microchip database.
A Private Members’ Bill on the issue is due to be debated in Parliament in October.
Meanwhile, Dogs Trust said the number of enquiries from owners needing to give up their dogs is now at its highest level since its contact centre opened in 2014.
A total of 4,370 enquiries were recorded in July alone, a figure the charity said is double the level it was receiving at the start of 2021.
Dogs Trust’s latest monthly survey of owners, conducted by YouGov, found 51% cited vet bills as their biggest financial concern relating to their pets, while one in five respondents said dog food and 15% named insurance.
The poll also found 61% of non-dog owners surveyed said the cost of living crisis would prevent them from adopting a dog.
The VMG has previously urged practice leaders to be transparent with both clients and staff about the reasons for imposing price rises.
But British Veterinary Union leaders have claimed the increases being imposed on owners are well in excess of the pay awards made to staff by the sector’s major employers.
Dogs Trust chief executive Owen Sharp said: “The UK is fast heading towards a situation in which, due to the cost of living crisis, we’ll have a surplus of dogs whose owners need to give them up, but a deficit of people who can afford to take on a new dog.
“Dogs Trust is issuing an urgent call for emergency foster carers – especially people with experience of caring for big dogs – who can provide a port in a storm to a dog who, for the moment, has nowhere else to go. If you can help, we urge you to get in touch with us and help look after the nation’s dogs through this crisis.
“Likewise, if you’re struggling to afford looking after your own dog, Dogs Trust will do all it can to help.
“I’m afraid we can’t promise miracles, but we’re always here to listen without judgement, talk through the options and give dog owners the benefit of our expert knowledge.”
