外媒 skynews /Lisa Dowd
Dog homes inundated with people returning their pets as the cost-of-living crisis bites
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2022 年 4 月 23 日星期六 01:57，英国
A charity is being inundated with calls from people looking to give up their dogs due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Birmingham Dogs Home has taken in 53% more animals than last year and its two sites are now full.
Charity fundraiser Rachel Frost told Sky News: "I don't think we saw that the cost of living was going to increase.
"We kind of knew about the lockdown dogs and people not having the time for them once things got back to normal, the socialising aspect of dogs during lockdown, so we foresaw we were going to get an increase in dogs that way, but the cost of living has shocked people."
The charity, which is also battling to absorb the costs of rising utility bills and fuel, is currently housing 130 dogs - with 93 brought to them over the last month.
Cersi, a one-eyed French bulldog, will soon be looking for a new home after veterinary treatment. She was taken in because her owner could no longer afford her.
"Everything's gone up, so that's really tough on families, it's a very hard decision to make," Ms Frost added.
At Christmas, the RSPCA rescued 29% more animals than the previous year in England and Wales.
The charity said it was expecting to see a further increase by summer due to the cost-of-living crisis.
A spokesperson told Sky News: "For those who are struggling to care for their pet as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, we would urge people to please seek help from friends and family, or reputable charities like ourselves.
"We're concerned that we could see a rise in abandonments as the rising cost of living puts a strain on people's finances or we could see a rise in pets being treated with home remedies to cut costs instead of being taken to the vet.
"This could all have a worrying impact on animal welfare."
Tumours, knee surgery and skin irritations are amongst the problems that vets at Birmingham Dogs Home are dealing with.
The average cost of caring for a small dog is around ￡50 a month, but that doesn't include cover if things go wrong.
Vet Matt Perks explained: "In terms of insurance, there's a wide range out there - but you're probably looking at ￡50 a month for a good level of cover with lifetime cover.
"It's so worth that security. If, for example, a dog ever needs an MRI scan, you're probably talking ￡2,500 to ￡3,000 for a scan alone, some orthopaedic procedures we're talking well into thousands of pounds.
"During lockdown, people went out and bought a dog thinking it's a good idea and then it's only an afterthought when the dog starts getting problems - and is probably why we end up with these relinquishments, because people can't afford the care."
原文Google翻译如下
由于生活成本危机，一家慈善机构收到了很多人希望放弃他们的狗的电话。
Birmingham Dogs Home 接收的动物数量比去年增加了 53%，其两个站点现已满员。
慈善筹款人雷切尔弗罗斯特告诉天空新闻：“我认为我们没有看到生活成本会增加。
“我们有点了解被封锁的狗，一旦事情恢复正常，人们就没有时间陪伴他们，在封锁期间狗的社交方面，所以我们预见到这样我们会增加狗的数量，但成本的生活震惊了人们。”
该慈善机构也在努力消化不断上涨的水电费和燃料成本，目前正在收容 130 只狗——上个月有 93 只狗被带到了这里。
Cersi 是一只独眼的法国斗牛犬，在接受兽医治疗后将很快寻找新家。她被收养了，因为她的主人再也买不起她了。
“一切都在上涨，所以这对家庭来说真的很艰难，这是一个非常艰难的决定，”弗罗斯特女士补充道。
圣诞节期间，RSPCA 在英格兰和威尔士拯救的动物数量比前一年增加了 29%。
该慈善机构表示，由于生活成本危机，预计到夏季会进一步增加。
一位发言人告诉天空新闻：“对于那些因生活成本危机而难以照顾宠物的人，我们会敦促人们向朋友和家人或像我们这样有信誉的慈善机构寻求帮助。
“我们担心，由于生活成本的上涨给人们的财务带来压力，我们可能会看到被遗弃的人数增加，或者我们可能会看到越来越多的宠物接受家庭疗法以降低成本，而不是被带到兽医处。
“这都可能对动物福利产生令人担忧的影响。”
肿瘤、膝盖手术和皮肤刺激是伯明翰犬之家的兽医正在处理的问题之一。
照顾一只小狗的平均费用约为每月 50 英镑，但这不包括出现问题时的保险。
兽医马特·珀克斯解释说：“就保险而言，范围很广——但你可能会看到每月 50 英镑的高水平保险和终身保险。
“这种安全性非常值得。例如，如果一只狗需要进行 MRI 扫描，仅扫描一次就可能要花费 2,500 到 3,000 英镑，而我们正在谈论的一些整形外科手术要花费数千英镑。
“在封锁期间，人们出去买了一条狗，认为这是个好主意，然后当狗开始出现问题时，这只是事后的想法——这可能就是我们最终放弃这些的原因，因为人们负担不起这种照顾。”