I have some exciting news to share with you all this month which will hopefully help a lot of pet owners.
Many are struggling due to the cost of living crisis, which is affecting people across Scotland.
That’s why the Scottish SPCA has launched Pet Aid, a new initiative to provide vital food supplies, collars, leads and other accessories to foodbanks and community hubs across the country, supporting people and pets who urgently need it.
The need for Pet Aid is plain as day. Calls to our animal helpline to give up pets have more than trebled in the first half of this year.
A recent survey we carried out with the RSPCA found that one in five people are worried about feeding their pets, and 69% of owners say looking after their pet is more expensive than it was in 2021.
This is phase one of Pet Aid – it is in its pilot stage. At the moment, our food supplies and accessories are available in 12 local authority areas, including Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
While we don’t want to see high levels of demand for such a service, we are committed to expanding it over the next two to three years. In the future, we hope it will include a form of veterinary service and behavioural service, so we can offer as much help as possible.
The P in Scottish SPCA stands for prevention, and that’s what we are all about. We want to be proactive in tackling the issues which put animals at risk.
Keeping owners and animals together
Pet Aid is a great example of our commitment to intervening before an animal is in danger of being abandoned or neglected. Keeping a person and animal together is always the best outcome we can hope for.
Behind the data, there are horrendous examples of the situations people and animals are in due to the cost of living crisis. Our inspectors, who spend far more time supporting people and pets who are struggling than dealing with deliberate and malicious animal cruelty, are encountering more and more pet owners struggling due to rising costs.
1. Thank you @ScottishSPCA for having me, and thank you for setting up Pet Aid.
Pet Aid provides food for animals through a network of food banks to help people keep their pets in this cost of living crisis.
Find out where you can get help at: https://t.co/wQ53dXP3xO
And, if… pic.twitter.com/IHXOVtY7Aj
— Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP (@GlasgowPam) August 4, 2022
We’ve had people call our animal helpline who are not feeding themselves so they can afford to feed their pet.
Over time, we hope we can drive down the number of people who feel they have to consider giving up their pet, the number of animals abandoned, and the volume of pets coming into the care of organisations like ours.
You can find out more about Pet Aid, volunteering to do foodbank runs, or donating animal food on the Scottish SPCA website.
Sharon Comrie is community and engagement manager for the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA)
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