From St Kilda to Wodonga and everywhere in between, people are struggling, and when people are struggling, their pets are affected.
Those struggling to care for their pets are certainly not alone.
Heartbreakingly, RSPCA Victoria receives an average of almost 16 calls every day from people wanting to surrender their pets for a variety of reasons, including financial difficulties.
Out on the road, we see firsthand how pet owners are struggling in the cost-of-living crisis, with many cases of animals with insufficient food or water.
We’ve also seen people struggling to provide their pets with appropriate flea and worming treatment, as well as unregistered pets going missing or abandoned by their previous owners.
We don’t only deal with cases of malicious animal cruelty, but unfortunately, that doesn’t always make it easier for the animals affected.
Many of the cruelty cases we see stem from neglect due to circumstances outside their control, such as unexpected illness, injury or hospitalisation, those affected by domestic violence and many others.
We’ve seen many owners who simply have too many animals and are unable to adequately take care of them.
Situations like this are often due to a lack of desexing; an unplanned litter of animals can be a heavy financial responsibility at the best of times, and it is a challenge best avoided.
We’re extremely grateful to the community for their ongoing vigilance in reporting animal cruelty.
Over the past six months, we received 964 cruelty reports from the North-East region, resulting in the rescue of 215 animals.
Last financial year, 413 animals came into our care, and sadly, it seems we’re likely to repeat this total again by the end of June.
As we enter what is historically the busiest time of year, we urge everyone to remain vigilant for animal cruelty in our area and to report it to RSPCA Victoria by calling 9224 2222 or online at rspcavic.org/cruelty-report.
The community support we see every day keeps us going and makes each day just a little bit better.
It cost approximately $10.7 million to operate the RSPCA Victoria Inspectorate in the last financial year, with the majority of funding coming from the community through donations, fundraising and events — thank you.
If you are one of many who are struggling to care for your pets, please don’t be afraid to reach out for help, whether it be to us, to other community-based programs, to your local council or to other groups who may be able to provide support.
Many animal welfare organisations, including the RSPCA, offer community services designed to support pet owners, and they may be able to help.
Together, we can end animal cruelty.
Belinda Dent,
RSPCA Inspectorate team leader North-East
16°C