On the 11th of April each year, National Pet Day is celebrated to appreciate the gift that animals have in bringing joy and companionship into peoples’ lives. However, it also highlights the number of pets that are abandoned or neglected and end up alone in shelters, that are constantly overwhelmed with unwanted animals. This issue has been exacerbated since Covid restrictions began to ease in the UK last year, as many people returned to work and no longer had time to fit an animal into their lives.  

 

In the UK, it is estimated that 59% of households own a pet, and over half of them are dogs. Studies have proven that the addition of a dog to a person’s life can bring about many benefits for people of all ages. Often, people with a dog exercise more and are generally healthier than those without a furry friend. Your risk of a heart attack decreases, and blood pressure lowers naturally with the daily walks that come with owning a dog. A walk is not only great for your dog, but it also allows you to clear your mind, bringing benefits for your mental health.  

 

For older people, having a dog as a companion can be comforting for safety and security as well as reducing the common issue of loneliness.  

 

Research has shown that giving a pet affection can reduce the levels of cortisol in the blood (a hormone which causes stress). Animals can reduce stress and anxiety, whilst also increasing self-confidence and enhancing the social skills of their owners. Many people, especially children, confide in animals and interact with pets just like they would with people. For this reason, children who grow up with pets are typically better in social situations and are more comfortable when expressing themselves. Stroking your pet also triggers a release of oxytocin, improving your mood and helping to manage depression.  

 

Animals are incredible for people, but not everyone treats them humanely. On average 40 pets are abandoned in England and Wales every day, and there are around 1.1 million homeless pets living in the UK at the moment. Organisations such as the RSPCA, Dog Trust, Cat Protection and Battersea Dogs and Cats Home are famously dedicated to helping abandoned or abused animals in the UK and work tirelessly to provide homes for the rising number of pets in need.  

 

There are also many less well-known rescue and rehoming shelters around London, including Foal Farm, Celia Hammond Rescue and Second Chance Animal Rescue.  

 

Unfortunately, due to the lack of funding, animal shelters in the UK have to euthanise over 200,000 animals every year. Many people care lovingly about their pets, and lots even volunteer in shelters, however too many people neglect or abandon their animals, resulting in this complex animal homelessness crisis.  

 

Linda Burns from Second Chance Animal Rescue (SCAR) spoke about the extra challenges that rehoming shelters faced during Covid: “We couldn’t rehome any animals as we couldn’t complete home checks.” 

 

Many shelters are enclosed spaces which meant that “any visitors for rehoming had to [visit the animals] on their own.” 

 

“Once the worst of Covid was over and people started to get back to work, we had an influx of rabbits, cats, chickens and ducks. We don’t take dogs but even now we have 5 to 6 calls a day [asking us] to take their dogs in for rehoming.” 

 

Many people took on a dog during lockdown because everyone was at home and seeking something to entertain them without considering whether they would be able to cope when the world returned to normal. These so called ‘lockdown puppies’ have many behavioural issues because they are not used to being left alone, and many families no longer want the dogs. For this reason, all shelters are inundated with homeless dogs. 

 

Linda said that SCAR “rely on donations to cover the cost of running the rescue and also a good supply of tins of cat, dog and rabbit food and chicken corn.” SCAR also “always needs regular volunteers to help look after the animals.” 

 

If anyone is able to donate to Second Chance Animal Resue, please follow this link to their website: Donate (scar-crockenhill.org) , or to inquire about volunteering: Volunteer (scar-crockenhill.org) .  

 

To celebrate National Pet Day this year, everyone should consider how they treat animals and what they can do to help support those charities trying to provide pets with the life that they deserve.