Family pets forced to go

Press, 24 August 1988, Page 3

Family pets forced to go

PA Dunedin. Many Dunedin dog owners can no longer afford to keep their family pets, said the inspector for the Otago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Mr Mac McGilvray. He said yesterday there had been a big increase in the number of family pets brought to the S.P.C.A. this year. Many of the people bringing pets had been made redundant recently and could no longer afford them, he said. A large dog, such as a German shepherd, would cost about $l5OO a year in food, veterinary fees and sundry expenses. The society took possession of 17 family dogs in

two days last week and many more approaches had been made. Owners now were asked to advertise their pets twice before the S.P.C.A. agreed to take them. Many people who found themselves unemployed were parting with pets which had been part of the family for up to eight years.

“A lot of people come up in tears and we feel for them,” Mr McGilvray said. It was difficult for the society to find a new owner for a dog' more than four years old. Half the dogs brought to the society had to be destroyed because satisfactory new homes could not be found.