American pet shelters are taking back more and more animals.
New York It is the most cosmopolitan city in the world and half of its estimated population of 10 million has at least one pet. Now, due to inflation and the high cost of living, a sad trend is starting to manifest in the Big Apple: many people give up their pets as they struggle to pay their bills. rentals and make ends meet.
According to specialists, in that city the deliveries of owners of dogs and cats in the Animal Care Centers of the city of New York increased by 25% compared to last year.
“The main reason? Lack of money and reasons for housing,” he said. Katy Hansenthat animal welfare organization’s director of marketing and communications, he told Fox News Digital.
More and more dogs are being returned to New York shelters.
Many pet owners who give up their pets in the Big Apple are moving to places that prohibit or don’t accept pets. “They are moving because they lost their jobs or they can no longer afford to live at home, “Hansen said.
“If we add to this the increase in the cost of everything, including pet food, supplies and other basic necessities, many shelters are seeing an increase. It’s very sad, “he said.” National shelter data from Shelter Animals Count, a non-profit organization that monitors the country’s animal welfare landscape, shows that from January 2022 to June 2022, the number of animals abandoned servants it went from 31,606 to 38,066 in 1,050 animal shelters.
But New York is the champion button, because even the reports from all over the United States indicate that pet owners are returning animals to shelters at an alarming rate. In Akron, Ohio; Jacksonville and Orlando, Florida; Stockton, California; Houston, Texas; Johnson City, Tennessee; Farmington, New Mexico; and Missoula, Montana, to name a few cities tested, the figures are similar.
Keeping cats is cheaper than keeping dogs.
The ASPCA estimates that the average annual cost of a dog is $ 1,391 and the average annual cost of a cat is $ 1,149. However, these estimates do not include most veterinary costs, such as grooming, dental care, neutering, sterilization, microchipping, vaccinations, and accessories such as cages, collars, litter boxes, scratching posts, and brushes.
In Jacksonville there was the case of an anonymous 10-month-old dog owner who abandoned in a park in early July, leaving a note saying he couldn’t keep the animal because “increased my rent”according to First Coast News.
Total pet costs have risen 7.1% year-to-date in the consumer price index, according to Pet Age, a business-to-business pet news company.
A representative from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) confirmed that the organization is receiving more reports of animals being abandoned in shelters. “Some of these relationships have a particularly tragic aspect “PETA told Fox News Digital.
In the United States, the cost of keeping pets has increased by more than 7% and this figure does not take into account many veterinary services.
In May, the organization reported a 6-year-old dog named baby girl which was abandoned by its homeless owner in Wisconsin after seven animal shelters rejected it.
And those who bring their pets from shelters seek out the facts about the new family member’s past life.
Source: Clarin
