RSPCA say animal rehoming centres are at breaking point in Devon

Worried animal welfare campaigners are urging the public to consider adopting a pet instead of buying.

RSPCA officials say that with their rescue centres full, the number of animals in private boarding has soared, costing the charity in the region of £500,000 a month.

The charity - the oldest of its kind, and celebrating its 200th anniversary this year - says the cost of living crisis has left rescue centres facing an ‘animal welfare crisis’ as animals are coming into its care faster than they are being adopted.
Currently, there are more than 1,400 animals waiting in private boarding centres because RSPCA centres are full; 63 in Devon alone.

In the first quarter of this year, it cost the RSPCA an eye-watering  £2.1 million to provide care for hundreds of animals in private boarding centres because its own centres are already at capacity. Of that total, almost £1.2 million went on kennelling hundreds of dogs because there wasn’t any space left in any of the RSPCA’s own dedicated centres and branches.

The animal welfare charity is increasingly having to rely on private boarding to look after animals in need, and that comes at a huge cost. The RSPCA currently has 1,441 animals in private boarding, costing in the region of £500,000 a month - or approximately £125,000 per week. That includes 503 dogs - costing more than £50,000 each week - as well as 126 rabbits, 201 cats, 285 horses, 58 exotic animals and 126 farm animals.

This news comes at the RSPCA’s busiest time of year when the charity says it receives a report of cruelty every five minutes. Cruelty is already on the rise with more than 44,000 reports of cruelty made to the RSPCA in the first six months of 2024 - two per cent higher than the previous year. And staff fear that the worst is still to come.

Karen Colman, head of animal logistics and welfare oversight at the RSPCA, said: “As we celebrate our 200th birthday this year, it’s incredible to see how far animal welfare has come since our founding in 1824.

“But the sad reality is that there’s still so much to do, and we’re currently facing an animal welfare crisis.
“Cruelty is on the rise at a time when our rescue and rehoming centres are at breaking point with the number of animals coming in versus the number being rehomed.

“We currently have 503 dogs waiting to come into our rehoming centres and, while they wait, they’re being cared for by an amazing network of private boarding kennels - but, amid the cost of living crisis, many of these have also had to increase their prices, making it a growing expense for us. The bills we’re facing are mounting every month.

“Sadly, more animals in need are coming into us all the time - many who have been the victims of awful cruelty, abuse and neglect - and rehoming rates have struggled in recent years as many families feel the pinch of the cost of living crisis and make the decision not to take on a pet.

“We’re launching an urgent appeal to those families who do feel they can commit to the cost and responsibility of a pet to please consider adopting a rescue instead of buying from a breeder or a pet shop. We have hundreds of animals in our care with so much love to give, they just need a chance.”

Little Valley Animal Centre in Exeter is run by the RSPCA’s Devon branch and rehomes hundreds of animals every year. But the centre is licensed to hold only a certain number of dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets and small animals and birds, and  so the RSPCA relies on private boarding centres in Devon and beyond, to help care for the animals the branch doesn’t have space for.

Little Valley currently has 119 animals in its care and more animals waiting to come in.

Goats JJ and Beau are currently in private boarding in Devon but are ready to find their forever homes so the RSPCA teams are trying to find them space in a rehoming centre so they can begin their search for a fresh start.

The charity says the cost of living crisis is seriously impacting pet owners as well as animal rescue organisations.
Dr Samantha Gaines, head of the RSPCA companion animals team, added: “Sadly we’re seeing more animals coming into our care and more pet owners turning to us for help because of the increasing costs of owning a pet, including the cost of food and vet bills.

“The cost of living has also led to a reduction in the number of people who are willing to take on an animal as they try to save money, and a recent RSPCA survey found 72 per cent of people were not planning to get a new pet.
“But the crisis is also hitting animal rescue organisations, like the RSPCA. Our food bills have soared, our energy bills to keep the lights and heating on in our centres have also rocketed, and animals are staying with us for longer as fewer people are adopting, which means spaces in our centres are becoming available less often and we need more and more private boarding spaces. It’s quickly becoming a serious welfare crisis.”

The RSPCA has a clear policy that it will not put healthy, rehomeable animals to sleep and euthanasia is only carried out, on advice of a vet, to prevent further physical or mental suffering to an animal.

The charity goes to great lengths to find the animals in its care loving homes, whether that takes weeks or months - but that means that animals are staying for longer and spaces are opening up less frequently.