In July, the RSPCA had 1,646 dogs in its care in England and Wales - the highest number on record and more than double the number from July 2020. Of all the animals in RSPCA care in July, a third of these were dogs - with 445 dogs rescued in July alone, compared to a five-year average of 245 per month.
With many RSPCA centres being already full, almost half of these dogs are being cared for in private kennels - which, along with all the other animals being housed at private boarding establishments due to lack of space, comes at a cost of more than £650,000 a month to the charity.
Now, the charity is calling for the public’s help and urgently appealing for adopters to come forward, to give dogs a second chance.
Sally Jones, Animal Centre Manager at the charity’s Block Fen Animal Centre in March, said: “Every adoption frees up vital space for us to rescue another animal in urgent need. If you’ve ever considered adopting, now is the time - you could be the lifeline a dog is waiting for.”
Could you give one of these pooches a home?
For more information on any of the dogs at Block Fen, please call 0300 123 0726 or email [email protected].
To view the dogs in the care of Block Fen, visit www.rspca.org.uk/findapet.
1. RSPCA facing 'rehoming crisis'
See some of the dogs available at Block Fen below. Photo: RSPCA
2. Storm- Staffordshire Bull Terrier crossbreed (2 years old)
Dotty is full of character. Since arriving to our care she has proven to be responsive on walks and wants nothing more than to please. Out on walks Dotty can often be found walking to the side of her handler, and if she does stray it is typically to go explore in the long grass. Photo: RSPCA Block Fen
3. Gomez- Lurcher Crossbreed (7 years old)
Gomez is a very affectionate boy and often stops on his walks to have a fuss with people. He can be a little anxious when meeting new people, but you can soon win him round with some treats and ear rubs! Here at our centre, he has shown excellent focus during his walks (walking lovely on the lead) offsite and onsite, and is always eager to engage with his person and take in the world around him. Photo: RSPCA Block Fen
4. Dray- Cane Corso crossbreed (2 years old)
Dray is a young dog that loves to learn. He is frequently spotted working through his cues when out with his handlers. Though he is a large dog, he is very polite on lead. To avoid any pulling we reinforce loose lead walking and improve his engagement with handlers by building reflex actions and having him check in often. He is showing positive progress with this. Photo: RSPCA Block Fen