A dog shelter founder in South Wales has spoken of “an unprecedented crisis” as owners dump their animals in the wake of the cost-of-living crisis. The Daily Mirror reports that Vanessa Waddon established the Hope Rescue in Pontyclun, South Wales, in 2005 and now says that the sheer number of dogs being abandoned is staggering.
She said: “We can see a system that’s already bowing under the constant pressure of abandoned dogs coming in, with owners often lying and claiming they are strays, while other desperate owners are pleading with us to take their dogs in as surrenders on a daily basis. This is before we even consider the huge spike in dogs we’re taking that have been seized from illegal and low-welfare breeders who capitalised on the boom in demand.
“We’re not the only animal welfare charity struggling with this problem right now. Many rescues across Wales are reporting the same issues and simply cannot keep up.”
