'Adopt, don't shop': RSPCA rehoming centres ‘at breaking point’ as animals arrive faster than they leave

The charity says the cost of living crisis has created a twin animal welfare crisis, and animals are arriving faster than they are being adopted out. Many of its centres are now full, and it it currently housing more than 1,400 animals in private boarding - which cost it a whopping £2.1 million from January to April this year.

On Tuesday (18 June), the RSPCA issued a call for Britons looking for a new furry family member to please consider adopting instead of shopping. Head of animal logistics and welfare oversight, Karen Colman, said the charity’s rescue and rehoming centres had reached “breaking point with the number of animals coming in versus the number being rehomed”.

The RSPCA currently had no space left in its dog centres, and 503 dogs being cared for in private kennels - at a cost of £50,000 a week. Dogs can’t be rehomed directly from these kennels, and many face a lengthy wait for spaces to open up in centres so they can begin training and rehabilitation work. Other animals currently in private boarding include some 126 rabbits, 201 cats, 285 horses, 58 exotic animals and 126 farm animals.

“While [the dogs] 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,” she continued.

“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.”

The RSPCA’s new urgent appeal was to families who did feel they could commit to the cost and responsibility of a pet, Ms Colman said. “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.”

The cost of living crisis has been hitting British families hard, and a recent RSPCA survey found there may not be much hope of relief on the horizon - with 72% of respondents not planning to get a new pet. But Dr Samantha Gaines, head of the charity’s companion animal team, added that the crisis was also hitting them.

“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 face of the crisis

RSPCA policy means that healthy, rehome-able animals will not be put to sleep, with euthanasia only carried out on vet advice to prevent physical or mental suffering. The charity says it goes to great lengths to find the animals in its care loving homes, whether that takes weeks, months, or even years - but that meant spaces opened up less frequently.

Three-year-old German Shepherd cross Jackson is one of the 500 dogs currently waiting in a private kennel. The pup was rescued by the RSPCA in November 2023, after police found him lying beside the body of his owner in his East Yorkshire home. He was taken to a local vet, before being moved 200 miles to a private boarding kennel - in Surrey - that had space for him. He’s still waiting to begin his journey to a new life and a new home, the charity said, which couldn’t begin until a space opened up at a rehoming centre.

Meanwhile, the RSPCA Macclesfield, South East Cheshire and Buxton Branch has had to create a long waiting list of owners who want to give up their pets, as it needs to prioritise taking in animals who have been the victims of cruelty and neglect. Staff member Carmen Cole said: “We have more than 180 owners who have enquired with us as they want to give up their pet, including 55 people with one or more dogs, 50 with cats, and 72 people who can no longer keep their rabbits.

“We’re a small branch of the RSPCA and we’re run entirely by volunteers,” she continued. “We already have 34 animals in our care - some taking up centre spaces and others with fosterers - and we work incredibly hard to help as many animals as possible but, at the moment, the situation is dire and we just don’t have space to help all of the animals who need us.”

If you’re in a position where you feel you might be able to welcome a new pet into your life, you can see all of the animals ready to find love using the RSPCA’s online Find A Pet tool here.