Pet rescue organisations across Sydney are turning away animals that owners say they can no longer afford to keep as shelters hit capacity.
The RSPCA NSW has a waiting list of 12 months or longer for people wanting to surrender their pet.
A third of animals are turned over to the charity due to their owners’ experiencing financial stress, while concerns about rental applications are behind one in five surrenders.
In the past year there has been a “significant increase” in the number of people surrendering animals because of financial concerns, RSPCA NSW animal operations general manager Kristy Blake said.
“We make sure that we try and find ways to support people who are struggling to feed their pets, who are struggling to pay vet bills because that shouldn’t be a reason why people are separated from their beloved companion,” she said.
Rescue only able to respond to one in 10 calls for help
With regular pet foster carers going away over the festive season, the Christmas and New Year period is a difficult time for already struggling shelters.
Maggie’s Rescue in Marrickville is only able to responds to about 10 per cent of calls for help it receives and operations manager Lisa Brittain said it was a “drop in the ocean of what’s really needed”.
The charity’s annual report found dogs in its care increased 50 per cent year on year, with the third year in a row of significant growth.
Shelters refer to this time of year as “kitten season” with dozens of cats coming in to care, putting additional pressure on rescues.
“We get influx of kittens each week, people don’t traditionally adopt from a rescue or a shelter over Christmas, so that causes issues with our capacity,” Ms Blake said.
“We have our amazing foster carers who go on holiday so we have animals coming back into care and we have people needing to surrender pets over Christmas.
“All of these things turn into the perfect storm and really turns the pressure up on our organisation.”
Situation could get worse over summer
Hawkesbury City Council animal services coordinator Rob Wainhouse is worried the situation will continue to decline over the summer.
“In the last two weeks we’ve come here to find dogs tied up in our front meet-and-greet yards,” he said.
“We’ve seen boxes of kittens left at the front door overnight and it will get worse leading up to that Christmas break.
“If you’re choosing to put a meal on the table for your kids or your dog then family is always going to come first.”
He said the cost of boarding, which can be as high as $100 a day, was often a barrier for families going away for a week or two on a summer holiday.
“For a family going away for a week, can they really spare that extra $700? Often at times I think that is leading to people letting their animals go and inevitably ending up here.
“You’ll probably find a rise in animal welfare concerns as well where people cannot feed their animals anymore and then we see them stray on the road and they come in here in very bad condition.”
Reform coming to change rules for renters
All the rescue organisations who spoke to the ABC said the situation they faced was complex and prevention strategies, such as widespread de-sexing programs, were needed to prevent the number of animals coming into their care.
Earlier this year, the NSW government banned puppy farming across the state in a move to address oversupply issues that can lead to dogs ending up in pounds and shelters.
The government is also in the process of implementing a raft of changes to help people who rent, including pet owners.
Under the rental reforms which are due to take effect next year landlords would only be able to refuse a pet on certain grounds.
Stephen Albin from the NSW Animal Welfare League said there had “never been a more active year” in animal welfare regulations changes in the state.
“They are moving in the right direction,” he said.
While people are taking time off this summer, Mr Wainhouse hopes that loving homes can be found for their long-term residents, some who have been there for more than a year.
“They’re perfectly healthy, they’re fun, they’re great animals but maybe they just don’t look the part and that means people overlook them and it is very hard.”
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