The cost of living crisis has had a negative effect on the welfare of pets in the UK. We talk to owners, charities and shelters about the realities of the rising cost of pets.
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00:00 [Music]
00:18 In the face of a growing cost of living crisis,
00:20 families across the UK are grappling with tough choices.
00:24 [Music]
00:28 For many, these hardships extend beyond their own needs to those of their beloved pets.
00:33 [Music]
00:38 This documentary delves into the emotional and financial challenges that pet owners face,
00:44 exploring how rising expenses are forcing some to make heartbreaking decisions
00:48 about the care and companionship of their furry friends.
00:52 [Music]
01:02 Through personal stories and expert insights,
01:04 we uncover the true impact of economic strain on the bond between people and their pets,
01:09 highlighting the resilience and love that endure even in the hardest times.
01:14 [Music]
01:17 We'll chat with pet food banks set up to help at this difficult time,
01:20 to owners who are feeling the pinch,
01:22 and to kennels who are struggling to find space and funds.
01:25 "Um, but it's never enough money. It's just never enough money.
01:30 As I said, we've got quite a few unsupported dogs here now that we're struggling to keep because of it."
01:35 And we'll meet Bear, a dog who has been in shelters for almost four years now,
01:41 desperately seeking a forever home.
01:43 [Music]
01:46 "It's just such a head trip. It's like being in prison for a dog."
01:51 [Music]
02:02 Do you have a pet at home?
02:04 The UK is truly a nation of pet lovers.
02:07 About 57% of UK households, that's around 16.2 million of us, house the nation's 38 million pets.
02:15 But in recent years, the cost of just about everything has risen,
02:18 including the essentials it takes to look after our furry friends.
02:21 Animal charities are reporting an increase in demand for their services as a result,
02:26 even leading to an uptick in abandonment.
02:28 The RSPCA has seen an 8% year-on-year increase in people wanting to give up their animals.
02:33 And it also comes at a time where public financial support for the charity sector has dropped.
02:38 A report by the Charities Aid Foundation revealed last year
02:41 that the number of people regularly donating to charity had fallen from 65% in 2019
02:47 to fewer than six in 10, or 56% in 2023.
02:51 It means while more people are seeking help with affording care for their pets,
02:55 access to funds to make these services available is down.
02:58 How does the cost of living affect how likely you are to get a pet?
03:01 And how has financial strain changed the care you are able to afford?
03:06 Our costs have gone up. We know that in 2020,
03:11 it would cost us an average of £130 to see a pet, and that's gone up to £168 last year.
03:18 When we're seeing over 400,000 pets a year, that's a real significant cost to us.
03:23 So we recognise how much it's affecting our owners as well.
03:26 It's the cost of pet food, it's the cost of pet insurance.
03:31 So when it's specifically looking at pets,
03:33 there's so many things that are going, the costs are rising and owners are struggling.
03:38 We know that.
03:39 What support are you offering to those facing financial difficulties?
03:42 And as you've mentioned, you've seen an increased demand for those services.
03:46 Just how big is that demand?
03:48 We are seeing more people turn to us who perhaps haven't even been to us before,
03:53 which tends to say to us that these are people who were managing,
03:58 and have got to the point now where the costs of everything have gone up so much,
04:01 they just can't anymore and they need charity help.
04:04 So we work out of 49 pet hospitals across the UK.
04:09 If people are within a catchment area of our hospital,
04:12 they can come in and either get free or low cost veterinary care for their pets.
04:15 What sort of an impact has that cost of living going up had on organisations like yourself?
04:21 How has that affected your ability to provide the assistance that the demand has also surged for?
04:26 So across the charity sector, we've seen a fall in donations,
04:31 and we need funds more than ever.
04:34 We receive no government funding.
04:36 Everything that we do relies on the amazing support we get from the public.
04:41 And yes, it is.
04:43 It's a huge concern.
04:44 We know everyone's struggling, and we're just so grateful for anyone who feels they can donate.
04:51 There's lots of ways you can donate, as you can imagine.
04:54 You can do a fundraiser yourself.
04:56 We've just had some amazing supporters running the London Marathon for us, actually,
05:00 as I say, we're incredibly grateful for all the support we get.
05:03 We know how much it means.
05:04 We're OEH Foundation.
05:11 It actually stands for One Every Hour.
05:14 I worked out that a dog was being put to sleep in a pound or in other methods,
05:21 once and one every hour.
05:23 I thought that's a catchy name, so I called myself One Every Hour.
05:28 [dogs barking]
05:33 Starting off with the dogs that I had, our own dogs and everything,
05:37 basically, very quickly, other rescues contacted us needing space.
05:42 And so we set up this sort of, if you like, cooperative thing
05:48 where the rescues bring their dogs here, and it's just built up from there.
05:57 And we're quite successful. We're quite successful.
05:59 The problem is, I think we've become too successful
06:03 because there's so many rescues now that want to bring their dogs here
06:06 that we have a waiting list.
06:07 And that is quite quiet at the moment.
06:11 But, you know, as I said, it is very busy.
06:16 We're very crowded.
06:17 We are a CIC, Community Interest Company now.
06:27 And it's hard, really, because obviously the money coming in
06:32 comes in from donations from people.
06:34 We get groups that sponsor some of the dogs.
06:37 Some of these dogs were in a pound and were being put to sleep that day.
06:40 Some of them have been abused in homes.
06:44 So people raise the money to send them.
06:48 You know, it doesn't come cheap.
06:50 You know, at the end of the day, we have to pay our very good staff
06:54 and all this sort of stuff.
06:56 And we still have the maintenance of the place,
06:59 which is horrendous sometimes.
07:01 The food, you know.
07:02 The rest of the money comes from rescues sending their dogs here
07:09 and they pay for the kennel spaces.
07:12 But it's never enough money.
07:15 There's just never enough money.
07:17 As I said, we've got quite a few unsupported dogs here now
07:19 that we're struggling to keep because of it.
07:23 [dog barking]
07:27 We know the country was hit with some bad financial ideas, shall we say,
07:35 that immediately ramped up the prices, obviously,
07:38 because at the moment the interest rate went up.
07:40 So did everything else, didn't it?
07:41 Everybody had to put their prices up.
07:43 Vet costs, I sometimes think, are a little bit much.
07:48 And that obviously is contributing factor.
07:50 Why dogs come in?
07:51 COVID has had a huge impact on the amount of dogs being given up.
08:01 And you can even see a pattern which type of dogs get given up
08:05 based on the popularity of a particular breed before.
08:11 So this year it's been French Bulldogs.
08:13 We used to get lots of XL Bullies and Bully types,
08:18 but there's a lot less of them now and we know why.
08:20 But yes, there tends to be a pattern to that.
08:25 But the main thing is, I think, is people take a dog on
08:29 without really realising the implications
08:34 that you've got an animal that's going to be there for 15 years,
08:37 possibly even longer, needs to be fed, needs to be cared for.
08:41 People don't think about that.
08:43 They see the dog and go, "Oh, that's it."
08:46 And behind me is the product of those mistakes.
08:49 If people want to buy cutesy things,
08:54 I must admit I cringe when I see them with their little cutesy outfits
08:57 and stuff like that.
08:58 You know, thousands upon thousands of years of, you know,
09:02 bringing these poor animals in round from the campfire
09:04 and then we stick a little clown suit on them, you know.
09:06 If people want to fork out that money, they're not,
09:09 but it doesn't need it.
09:10 I think a dog can be quite cheap to run.
09:15 You know, there are some decent cheap dog foods out there.
09:18 There's some really expensive dog foods out there as well.
09:21 But yeah, you've got to live within your means.
09:27 And that means the dog has to live within those means as well.
09:29 And it is very possible.
09:31 Dog doesn't lick it.
09:32 Dog doesn't go, "Oh, I hate this person
09:34 because I haven't got this fancy toy that they've got me."
09:36 Dogs don't think like that.
09:38 All the dog wants is a space to sleep
09:41 and the odd knowing that it's got your support.
09:45 That's all it asks for.
09:47 Dog doesn't judge.
09:48 Dog doesn't judge on any of those sort of things.
09:51 That's the beauty about having dogs.
09:53 Is they're never going to be judgmental about your lifestyle
09:56 or anything else, are they?
09:57 We've had to definitely change what we're feeding
10:01 and where we're getting our food from.
10:03 Finding still good quality food for them,
10:06 but also that's going to fit our budget
10:09 because we've got three very large dogs.
10:11 It's more of the health insurance.
10:13 The insurance for these two aren't too bad,
10:16 but insurance for a Kenko also is expensive.
10:19 And just making sure we've got everything up to date,
10:24 checking that we're on the best possible policy for him.
10:29 Food's tripled in price.
10:30 When I had my English Bulls, I used to feed them on tripe.
10:33 That was, what, 20p a square block years ago.
10:37 Now it's like nearly two quid or something.
10:40 Well, everyone's got to cut back at the minute, hasn't they?
10:43 You've got to cut back on everything, really.
10:45 Everyone's even to pay your bills, aren't you?
10:47 Because everything's hard work, especially in the winter.
10:50 I have two cats, Oogie and Ibby,
10:54 and I have two parrots, love birds, and I have a dog.
10:57 And my brother has four cats,
11:00 so we have a big family with animals.
11:02 And yeah, it makes me a little bit broke.
11:07 I changed my pet insurance from one to another one
11:11 because it was cheaper.
11:12 And I've just literally was at the vets this week with my dog.
11:16 And it cost me 48-something pounds for six tablets.
11:20 And I've taken out a scheme where you pay monthly.
11:24 It's worth it in the end.
11:26 You save quite a bit of money.
11:28 You get all your flu treatments, all your wound treatments,
11:31 two consultations free, and you can see the nurses.
11:35 And they boost you every year.
11:37 So I pay monthly for that.
11:39 And you save, I think I save about 600 pounds doing it that way.
11:43 If you honestly can't afford to buy pets, don't get them.
11:47 It's simple as that, really.
11:51 [DOG BARKING]
11:54 Next, we're off to Sheffield to visit the Blue Cross food bank.
12:12 But first, here's Nick Holland from the city's cat shelter.
12:18 Yeah, the Sheffield Cat Shelter have been helping cats and cat owners since 1897.
12:24 So 127 years now.
12:26 So one of the oldest animal charities in the UK.
12:29 And so we've been helping cats, kittens, cat owners in Sheffield.
12:34 And in that time, we've helped tens of thousands of cats find new homes.
12:38 So things have changed, obviously, a lot in 127 years.
12:42 But we're still doing the same thing, which is taking in cats that have been abandoned
12:46 or their owners can no longer look after them for whatever reason.
12:51 And then finding great new homes for them.
12:53 Have you seen an increase in cats coming to you over the last couple of years?
12:58 Yeah.
12:58 Do you think that's probably down to cost of living crisis?
13:01 It's often not helped.
13:02 Yeah, definitely.
13:03 I think there are a number of reasons why cats come to us.
13:05 But definitely, I think there's been a big increase in the last couple of years
13:09 in cats on our waiting list and cats brought to us.
13:12 And I do think it's cost of living crisis is the main driving force behind it.
13:17 Because cat owners' bills are going up massively.
13:20 Food's going up.
13:21 Cat litter's going up.
13:22 Especially vet bills.
13:24 Vet bills have shot up.
13:25 And people get cats.
13:28 They find the cats get sealed or they have kittens.
13:31 And they need vet help and suddenly they can't afford it.
13:35 So then they're in a big dilemma.
13:37 So the costs have gone up for you guys as well?
13:40 They have.
13:41 I mean, yeah, costs for cat owners have gone up.
13:43 Our costs have shot up.
13:44 Again, vet bills.
13:45 I mean, our vet does give us a reduced discount, which is great for them.
13:49 But it's still going up and up.
13:50 And fuel bills, obviously, is quite a big building we've got here.
13:54 Lots of electricity and fuel costs.
13:57 So our costs are rising steeply.
14:00 Cars, the emissions zone, as well as another cost we have to bear at the moment.
14:07 So our costs are rising greatly.
14:09 But still, we have to be here for cats and cat owners.
14:12 So it's a double-edged sword, really, for our shelter and other shelters.
14:17 You know, we're getting more demand in our services, but our costs are rising at the same time.
14:21 Do you get people, you know, literally coming to knock on the door?
14:25 We do.
14:25 We always tell people, ideally, email us or phone us and we can arrange things in an orderly fashion.
14:32 But yes, some people do come to the door.
14:34 And sometimes we can help them.
14:36 And sometimes we've simply not got the space and we have to tell them,
14:39 unfortunately, get in touch with another shelter or come onto our waiting list
14:44 and we'll contact you as soon as we can help.
14:47 Bede, which is our ginger kitten, and Feather, who's hiding at the minitary box,
14:51 is our grey kitten.
14:53 They're brothers.
14:55 And they're a group of six kittens who were brought to us,
14:58 all from the same family, but over a few weeks of a different period,
15:02 by a woman who simply had too many cats and couldn't afford to look after them,
15:08 couldn't cope with all her cats anymore.
15:10 And she's got the mother cat as well, who she'll be bringing to us as well.
15:15 And it's a common story, really.
15:19 Now, people love cats, but they just can't afford it anymore.
15:23 And then they need help from people like us.
15:26 So these two are typical cats, but they're beautiful cats.
15:29 The good news for these two is they are heading out to their forever home later today.
15:34 So there's a good life ahead for these two.
15:38 Yeah, from June the 10th, it's becoming compulsory to microchip all adult cats,
15:42 all cats over 20 weeks old.
15:43 So cat owners who don't know that could be fined.
15:46 So if anybody's worried about that cost, they can contact us or other cat charities.
15:52 And we are running special subsidised or even free microchipping events here at the shelter.
15:57 So if anyone's worried about the deadline coming up, which is June the 10th,
16:01 just get in touch with us and we can help them.
16:03 Yeah, we set it up about three years ago.
16:07 And due to the massive demand, obviously, the financial crisis at the time was making
16:12 it really difficult for people to feed their pets.
16:15 And we were noticing that people were needing maybe short term help in order to help them
16:19 get to payday or maybe perhaps in between jobs.
16:23 So we started to collect donations and then be able to give them out to clients who needed our
16:27 help.
16:27 Yeah, so Blue Cross is a national charity.
16:29 We have sites throughout England and also in South Wales.
16:34 And we offer a rehoming services, obviously, for animals who are needing to leave their
16:39 families for various reasons.
16:41 We also help horses.
16:42 We run a fantastic pet bereavement service and also obviously food banks, which we run
16:48 nationally across many of our sites.
16:49 We also have veterinary hospitals, two in London and one in Grimsby, where we offer
16:53 an amazing veterinary service for people who would be struggling to find veterinary care
16:58 for their pets.
16:59 How important do you think are pet food banks at the moment for the cost of living crisis
17:03 that we're going under at the moment?
17:05 Yeah, they're massively important and still very important now.
17:08 We haven't seen any wane in the demand for our help.
17:11 But what we want to do is try and keep pets with their families.
17:14 So rather than having to make those difficult choices, whether they feed themselves or feed
17:18 their pets, actually they come to us and then we can help them keep families together because
17:22 we know the massively important role that pets play within their families.
17:26 I would say that the demand for our help has been consistently high throughout, so it's
17:31 certainly not improving at the moment.
17:32 We give over a tonne of food out every month.
17:36 So, you know, we have a lot of people who really need help just feeding their pets.
17:40 How can people donate to the Blue Cross Food Banks?
17:44 They can bring unopened and wet dog food or cat food or small animal food as well.
17:50 So we like to be able to help rabbits, gerbils, guinea pigs.
17:52 They can bring it directly to the centre.
17:54 We've got donation bins outside and we've got somebody here, we're open 10 till 4 every
17:59 day apart from Wednesdays.
18:00 We also have donation bins at Tesco's just around the corner and also Pets at Home in
18:05 St James.
18:06 Do you struggle for donations?
18:08 Is it hard sometimes to keep up with demand?
18:11 Yeah, absolutely.
18:12 Really high volumes of food going out all the time, so we're trying to keep the stocks
18:16 in and it's very difficult sometimes to match the needs of our clients.
18:20 So we might need foods of specific types for dogs, maybe with allergies or sensitive stomachs.
18:25 So it is really difficult for us to keep in the amount of food we need to satisfy the
18:29 demand.
18:30 I can imagine storing the food, once you've got the donations, that must be tricky at
18:33 times with the sheer volume.
18:35 Absolutely, and even moving the food is huge.
18:37 So really big volumes, as I said, of food coming in all the time.
18:41 So yeah, we do often have to keep moving it around the centre and finding places where
18:46 we can stash different bits of food to keep in enough stock.
18:49 Now say hello to Bear, a rescue dog from Romania who's had a rough start to life.
18:58 He's been in kennels for almost four years now, despite every effort to find him a forever
19:04 home.
19:04 Poor Bear, he did have a home over four years ago with a gentleman, but the gentleman changed
19:24 his job or I don't know what the circumstances were and he couldn't keep him.
19:29 So he had to go into kennels, ordinary boarding kennels, because we couldn't find anything
19:35 immediately.
19:36 And then he was there, he went to a rehab kennels, which didn't help because they didn't
19:44 help.
19:44 And then he went to private kennels, and other private kennels, and now he's here at Ian's
19:53 trying to find a home.
19:55 He's not cute, he's not fluffy and he's not small, which is what people want, possibly
20:07 because he's a boy.
20:08 Everyone seems to want girls.
20:10 And when he meets people, he is quite enthusiastic.
20:16 A lot of people don't want that.
20:18 People want a dog that they can just put a lead on and go for a walk and stroke.
20:23 And I know Bear now and I can do that to him, I can stroke him.
20:28 And we've got a connection and I would have Bear if I didn't have dogs.
20:33 But I've got dogs, so I've got a limit now.
20:45 He's Romanian, so he'll have been caught on the street by dog catchers who have a pole
20:53 that catches them and they tighten the neck so that they basically are just surrendering
20:59 to what this person's going to do to them.
21:02 They literally get pulled with the neck, so quite often they don't survive, into a van.
21:11 So how can you not be transformed by something like that?
21:15 They'll be taken into a kill shelter with lots of barking dogs and then after two weeks,
21:23 if nobody comes for them, they're basically battered to death.
21:28 You can't get an off the peg dog.
21:33 Everything's dog.
21:34 They're the same as people.
21:35 They're people of personalities.
21:38 Bear might gel with somebody in another home and be absolutely fantastic,
21:42 where it hasn't worked with somebody else.
21:44 Same with relationships and same with people.
21:48 There isn't a lot of difference.
21:49 You either get on with people or you don't.
21:51 And that's the same with dogs.
21:52 And I wish people would realise that dogs have also got feelings and they've got empathy.
21:59 And maybe going in that particular home doesn't suit that particular dog.
22:06 Later down the line, he finds a home where he absolutely adores that person.
22:10 He just likes walking.
22:13 It's going to be somebody that likes walking.
22:16 Doesn't have to be a 10-mile walk, a mile walk in the morning,
22:21 half a mile in the afternoon, one or perhaps a bit in the evening in summer.
22:26 And somebody just to spend time with him, to just...
22:30 It's like when you meet somebody, you know, that's going to be significant in your life.
22:35 You want to get to know them first.
22:37 And that's how he is.
22:39 I mean, you're not going to marry somebody when you meet them, are you?
22:43 Like after two dates or something.
22:45 Dogs like Bear, unfortunately, would need somebody to come and visit him a few times
22:53 so he can trust.
22:55 And then under our guidance, yes, he could be rehomed.
23:03 You know, but there are certain rules that have to be put in place with some of these dogs
23:07 and they have to be stuck to.
23:08 He spent more of his life in a kennel than out of it.
23:12 And the thing is, they become institutionalized as well.
23:16 You know, as I said, he gets to the point where he doesn't know anything else
23:21 but us, this little bit surrounding his kennel.
23:25 And it's a shame, it really is.
23:26 There's costs involved in sending him here.
23:31 And that's taking costs away from saving other dogs and putting them into homes.
23:36 So I don't know what the answer is.
23:39 I'm just hoping and praying that his lucky star is going to come along
23:43 and somebody's just going to come along and just think, yeah, let's do it.
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