The pandemic pet boom is over. Adoptions of dogs and cats saw a spike during lockdown days. But now as people return to pre-pandemic lives – work and travel – and as the cost of living soars, many seem to regret getting home a furry friend. Or maybe they simply can’t afford its upkeep. Now, across the world, pets are being abandoned, some left outside rescue homes, others just out on the street.
In Singapore, there has been a rise in the abandonment of dogs, cats and rabbits. The government-run Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) said that it investigated 310 cases of pets being abandoned last year, which was a nearly 38 per cent rise from 225 in 2021. The previous year, Singapore recorded 251 cases and in 2019, the number stood at 230, according to a report by Channel News Asia (CNA).
However, the numbers could be much higher. In Singapore, while it is mandatory to microchip dogs, the rules don’t apply to rabbits and cats. Hence, it is difficult to identify when these animals are rescued.
“Often, our officers cannot clearly ascertain if a rescue animal is from the community or an abandoned pet. It is thus likely that abandonment rates are higher than reported,” Aarthi Sankar, the executive director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) told CNA.
The rules are strict. Yet, this has not stopped people from abandoning their pets. Offenders can be charged under the Animals and Birds Act. Those who fail to look after their pets can be fined a maximum of S$10,000, face jail of up to 12 months, or both.
Jessica Kwok, group director of AVS, told the publication that offenders often say that “they were unable to continue caring for their pets”.
In Singapore, there has been a 20 to 30 per cent rise since mid-2022 in people looking to give up their dogs. Image courtesy: Four Paws International
Rehoming pets in Singapore
There’s a silver lining. Awareness of animal welfare and strict laws have led to a rise in rehoming cases more than abandonment. What is rehoming? This requires pet parents to call up animal welfare groups and go through standard operating procedures to give up the animals.
As the number of owners letting go of their pets rises, welfare groups in Singapore have urged people not to buy rabbits out of impulse in the Year of the Rabbit, CNA reports. But it is not rabbits or cats alone. Since mid-2022, there has been a 20 to 30 per cent increase in people looking to give up their dogs in the country.
“We have seen an uptick in the number of people coming to us for financial assistance. Usually, they’ll tell us the dog is sick and they can’t bear the financial expenses anymore, or they will say the dog is old, and the caregiver, who is usually old, can’t look after the dog anymore,” Action for Singapore Dogs president Ricky Yeo told CNA. He said that shelters are now filling up.
According to Yeo, the expenses of keeping pets have gone up. From visits to vets to the cost of pet food, the prices of everything have escalated.
Cat Welfare Society (CWS) president Thenuga Vijakumar told the publication that inflation and rising costs have led to more people abandoning pets since 2022.
People brought pets to fill the emptiness they felt during the lockdown, but now that life is back to normal, many have no place for them. However, the rising costs are not haunting Singapore alone. People in the United States and the United Kingdom are also dumping their pets.
People bought pets during the lockdown to cope with loneliness. Representational picture/AFP
Shelters full in the US
More than 23 million American households — nearly one in five nationwide –adopted a pet during the pandemic, says the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), a New York-based animal welfare group. Now several non-profits are helping families care for them. Caught between tending to their human families and pets, many facing economic duress are left with the choice of surrendering the animals or abandoning them, reports The Washington Post.
Shelters across the country are filled to the capacity, according to Best Friends Animal Society, an American NGO. The surging inflation and concerns over economic slowdown have led to more people giving up on pets; even adoptions are lagging.
According to the ASPCA, in the US, owning a dog costs an estimated $1391 and a cat costs $1149. The inflation has made caring for pets pricier. Add to this visits to the veterinarian if the animals need medical attention. More than four in 10 pet owners reported that a vet bill of $999 or less would cause them to go into debt, The Washington Post reports quoting a Forbes Advisor survey.
More than 23 million American households adopted a pet during the pandemic. AFP
Craig Cummings, director of the Casper Humane Society, which works for finding homes for animals, told Business Insider in November last year that his team had noticed a spike in the number of pets being abandoned. “We receive calls on a daily basis from owners that can no longer afford to keep their animals, and people who are being displaced from their housing,” he said.
Shelters are overwhelmed and they too are battling inflation. There’s been a decline in donations and a fall in adoptions amid fears of recession.
Pet care unaffordable in the UK
There has been a fall in the prices of pet animals as people return to offices and feel the heat of inflation.
Shelters in the UK are seeing more unwanted animals. In 2019, 22 per cent of UK rescue centres were at full capacity. That increased to 33 per cent in 2021 and 42 per cent last year. Shelters are bracing for more dogs, cats and rabbits to be abandoned, reports Bloomberg.
A survey conducted of 2,500 users of Pet4Homes, a popular pet classified website, found that one in 10 owners was considering giving up their pet. Some 18 per cent of owners are already falling into debt to pay for their animals’ care, while a quarter can’t afford to take them to the vet, the report says.
A survey of 2,500 people in the UK found that one in 10 owners was considering giving up their pets. AFP
Post-pandemic, two-thirds of households in the UK own pets. Some are giving them up while others are cutting down on their own expenses to provide for the animals. Thirty-eight per cent of owners said they had switched to cheaper food and 80 per cent said they would cut back on takeaways, alcohol, holidays, haircuts and TV subscriptions to provide for their animals, according to the Pets4Homes survey.
But not everyone is going to make sacrifices. If prices continue to rise and the world economy slows down, if people are forced to pick between feeding their children and pets, the story of our four-legged friends might not always end happily.
With inputs from agencies
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