12 Sept 2023
Amid fears of another tough winter ahead, charity claims the move is necessary so it is better placed to help the rising number of struggling pet owners.
Allister Webb
Job TitleA leading welfare group has announced plans to close two of its animal rescue centres next month as part of a shift to increased community services.
Amid fears of another tough winter ahead, the Scottish SPCA claimed the move is necessary so it is better placed to help the rising number of struggling pet owners.
Latest analysis from Citizens Advice, with whom the group plans to increase collaboration, showed tens of thousands of pet owners have already been forced to give up their animals on financial grounds.
Several other measures, including increased veterinary support, have also been outlined as part of a broader pledge to make support more easily accessible across the country.
Scottish SPCA chief executive Kirsteen Campbell said: “Animal rescue goes far beyond the walls of a rescue centre, and as more and more people turn to us for help to look after the animals in their lives, we need to adapt the way we do things to meet and get ahead of that growing demand.
“We’re delivering services straight to communities where we are most needed and where we can really make an impact.”
The two centres facing closure, in Ayrshire and Caithness, are said to be among the smaller of the Scottish SPCA’s network of 10 rescue sites across Scotland.
According to its figures, the sites, which are due to shut by the end of October, accounted for below 5% of the 5,682 animals cared for by the Scottish SPCA last year, with much of their intake being drawn from outside their immediate surrounding areas.
The charity said all of the animals currently housed at the sites will either be fostered, rehomed or moved to other Scottish SPCA sites, while all affected staff and volunteers have been offered the chance to take up community-based roles.
Ms Campbell said: “Improving our capacity to deliver community outreach means more people will be aware of the services and support available to them, which should reduce the chances of them ever being at serious risk of compromising an animal’s welfare.
“At the same time, improving our capacity to rehome and foster at speed will improve the experience animals have in our care, which is ultimately the best thing for their welfare.”
Ms Campbell added: “Our centres will always play a vital role in our approach to animal rescue and securing better animal welfare.”
The announcement was made as welfare and veterinary groups across the UK voiced their concerns about the challenges their sectors are likely to face during a winter that some fear could be even harder than the last one for both householders and businesses, because of the reduction in government support for energy prices, which remain high.
Last year, the Scottish SPCA set up a Pet Aid scheme to help provide essential food supplies for pets through food banks across Scotland, and the programme is holding a series of roadshows across the country during September and October.
The charity is now planning to increase access to veterinary support through the scheme, as one of several targets it has vowed to reach by the end of 2024.
The group has further pledged to increase its adoption rates by 15%, treble the number of foster families it works with to 600 and virtually double its community pet supply partnerships from the present 51 to 100.
The Scottish SPCA has also agreed to work more closely with Citizens Advice Scotland to ease access to each other’s services and enable earlier intervention in cases where either animal or human welfare is being compromised.
Citizens Advice data has revealed that, during the past financial year alone, more than 137,000 people made the decision to give up their pets because of either reduced incomes or rising costs.
David Hilferty, the group’s director of impact, said: “That’s an absolutely heart-breaking decision no owner will take lightly – particularly families with children or pensioners for whom their pet is their best friend and a source of comfort against loneliness and isolation.
“We want to ensure people who find themselves in this difficult position are getting all the money they are entitled to and paying the lowest possible costs, so they aren’t forced to say goodbye to animals who are more family members than pets.”
