MONEY problems are seeing an increasing number of people asking the RSPCA to find new homes for their pets.
The Mornington Peninsula and Frankston have been identified as areas where people are struggling with the high cost of living, according to Stuart Marchesani, the RSPCA’s inspectorate team leader in Victoria’s south-east.
“Heartbreakingly, every month RSPCA Victoria receives between 400 and 600 calls from people wanting to surrender their pets for a variety of reasons, including financial difficulties,” he said.
“Many of the cruelty cases we see aren’t necessarily malicious cruelty but rather neglect due to people’s circumstances changing beyond their control, such as unexpected illness, injury or hospitalisation, financial pressures, those affected by domestic violence, and many other factors. “Sometimes it’s people simply not knowing how to provide basic care for their pets and, with a little help and education, things can be easily turned around.”
Marchesani said members of his team spent a lot of time helping people care for their pets. “We know animals make our lives better and, where it’s safe to do so, the best outcome is often to keep people and their pets together.”
He said that over the past 12 months they had seen many cases of animals without weather-proof shelters “sleeping in the cold and damp, unable to regulate their body temperature”. “These pets end up burning more energy than normal just to keep warm, something that becomes apparent as their body condition worsens over time,” Marchesani said. “We’ve also seen people struggling to provide basic early veterinary care to their pets which develops into expensive major medical issues later in the animal’s life and severely impacts their welfare.”
The RSPCA had been providing flea and worming treatments, emergency food, and sometimes shelter for their pets.
“Despite this work, RSPCA Victoria received 2844 cruelty reports from the south-east region, resulting in the rescue of 559 animals.” Marchesani said.
He said residents across the region were the RSPCA’s “eyes and ears when it comes to animal cruelty”. Most of the $9.7 million needed to operate the RSPCA Victoria Inspectorate over the past financial year had come from donations, fundraising and events.
Marchesani urged anyone struggling to care for their pets to contact the RSPCA, other community-based programs or Mornington Peninsula or Frankston councils.
Concerns about animal welfare can be reported to the RSPCA by calling 9224 2222 or online at rspcavic.org/cruelty-report.
RSPCA Peninsula is in Robinsons Road, Pearcedale, call 5978 9000.
First published in the Mornington News – 27 August 2024