‘Very busy year’ for RSPCA in Dorset as 400 animals rehomed
The charity says it’s seen an ‘unprecedented demand for pets’ during the pandemic
Last updated 9th Oct 2021
Nearly four hundred animals were rehomed in Dorset by the RSPCA in 2020, new figures show.
A total of 390 animals were rehomed by the animal charity, amid what it calls an ‘unprecedented demand for pets’ during the pandemic.
The figures were revealed as the RSPCA launched their annual Adoptober campaign, asking people to ‘Adopt, Don’t Shop’ to help animals find their forever home.
Lewis Taylor, the charity’s chief inspector in Dorset and Wiltshire, said the pandemic has posed extra challenges for the charity.
‘The pandemic has increased the pressure for it – it’s been a very busy year.
‘We have a lot of animals coming in, so we have to network using the facilities that we’ve got in the area, including some of our other centres wider afield.’
He added: ‘We also liaise quite closely with other charities, like Dogs Trust, to try to rehome as many animals as possible.’
'Huge surge' in pet ownership
Founded in 1824, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) claims to be the world’s oldest and largest animal welfare organisation.
The charity says it rehomed 28,740 animals nationwide last year, 390 of which were in Dorset.
But Dorset was relatively low in the list of counties by number of animals rehomed – Derbyshire, Norfolk, the West Midlands, and Kent all rehomed well over 1,000 pets.
The charity believes the rise in rehoming is down to a ‘huge surge’ in pet ownership during the pandemic. Many people decided on a whim to get a pet, without necessarily properly thinking it through.
Mr Taylor told Greatest Hits Radio: ‘We believe that main reason is just that lack of fully researching what is needed.
‘The all-the-time demands, the financial costs, what they need not just physically – it’s not just about taking them for a walk or giving them an enclosure with food and water – but all of the mental aspects too.
‘If their mental wellbeing isn’t supported properly, then you can get behavioural problems and other issues too which can become difficult for the people taking them on.’
He added that when someone gets a pet without being fully prepared to look after it in the long term, ‘all sorts of things happen.
‘You get the behavioural issues, and it just means the household as a whole is less happy. Then animals start getting put on the backburner and they don’t get the attention they need.
‘If there’s financial implications as well, they don’t get the regular maintenance and care that they need, such as flea and worm treatments, and regular visits to the vet.’
The aim of Adoptober
In addition to urging people to ‘Adopt, Don’t Stop’, the RSPCA’s Adoptober campaign is also asking people to look after their pets’ mental wellbeing.
Dr Sam Gaines, head of the companion animals team at the RSPCA, said: ‘It’s important that we remember that our mental health can impact on that of our pets and we need to make sure we consider their mental health and know how they are feeling.
‘From changes in their behaviour to their body language, our pets can give us insight into their mental wellbeing and it’s important that as pet owners we know how to spot these signs and act on them.’
The charity suggests signs of an unhappy dog include a low body posture and head, tucked tail and ears pinned back.
Cats, meanwhile, can feel stressed or anxious due to routine disruption, such as owners leaving to go back to the office or the introduction of new pets into the household.
Mr Taylor summarised the campaign’s aim: ‘The overall message is just to do some really good research first, make sure you’re fully prepared and that you’re fully prepared, and adopt, don’t shop.’
Expert advice on how to take in an animal for rehoming can be found on the RSPCA’s website.