Cost of living crisis is impacting on how the nation cares for its dogs, says Dogs Trust

RESEARCH carried out for the UK's leading canine charity, Dogs Trust, has shown that 35% of the dog owners in the UK think the rising cost of living in the UK is making it more difficult to give their dogs all they need.

The new regular poll, carried out by YouGov on behalf of the charity, will track dog owners from a variety of backgrounds, ages and areas of the UK to measure the impact of the cost of living crisis on our dog loving nation, month by month as the crisis evolves.

This 1st pulse survey, carried out in the 1st week of June, found that 68% of dog owners in the UK feel worried, to some extent, about how they will care for their dog in the next year, with 30% eithe:-r 'very' or 'fairly' worried.

By far the greatest worry was how they would manage to pay vet bills, which 49% named as their main concern. The 2nd biggest worry was affording dog food (17%), closely followed by insurance (15%).

Non-dog owners in the UK, meanwhile, were asked whether the rising cost of living would prevent them from adopting or buying a dog. 54% said that it would.

This gloomy picture echoes Dogs Trust's own interactions with both current and future dog owners. The charity, which provides care for dogs in need all over the UK until it can find them new homes, is seeing a steady increase in the number of requests from owners who have made the heart breaking decision to give up their dog.

It harks back to the year after the 2008 recession, when the increase in the number of stray and abandoned dogs reached over 25% in the UK.

Owen Sharp, Dogs Trust CEO, says:- "We know from the experience of the 2008 recession that economic crisis can and will lead to people needing to give up their beloved dogs. Sadly, many loving dog owners simply won't be able to afford to keep them. At Dogs Trust we're rehoming and fostering dogs as quickly as we can, but as soon as we free up a kennel space, there's a dog to fill it again. We've already taken 13,000 calls this year from owners who need to give up their dogs; a 58% increase on last year. We know that dog owners need immediate help and we're working hard to find ways to support them, but it takes time. If you're really struggling, please contact Dogs Trust; even if we can't take in your dog immediately, there may be other types of help we can suggest, like our Hope Project, which aims to keep anyone experiencing a housing crisis and their dog together, and helping people find other services such as pet food banks or local charities that could ease the burden. We want dog owners to realise that they don't have to wait until they are in crisis to call us for help."

Last chance to have your say on how Liverpool is run

RESIDENTS and businesses in Liverpool have until Monday, 20 June 2022, to express a preference on how the City is governed. The consultation asks:- "How would you like Liverpool City Council to be run?"

The options are the three forms of governance that are allowed by law:-

► By a Mayor who is directly elected by voters every 4 years (current system)

► By a Leader who is an elected Councillor, chosen by a vote of the other elected Councillors

► By 1 or more Committees made up of elected Councillors

In April, letters were sent to households with a link directing residents to a secure portal, for them to register their preference. Residents have also been given the option request a paper copy of the voting form, if preferred.

To make it as easy as possible for people to have their say, voting forms and ballot boxes have also been placed in the following 18 locations:-

► Central Library.

► Allerton Library.

► Breck Road Library.

► Childwall Library.

► Croxteth Library.

► Dovecot Library.

► Fazakerley Library.

► Garston Library and One Stop Shop.

► Kensington Library.

► Kirkdale One Stop Shop.

► Lee Valley Library.

► Norris Green Library.

► Parklands Library and One Stop Shop.

► Old Swan Library.

► Sefton Park Library.

► Toxteth Library.

► Wavertree Library.

► West Derby Library.

Other ways to have your say:-

► Online at:- LiverpoolOurwayForward.com.

► By Email:- governanceconsultation@liverpool.gov.uk.

► By post:- Electoral Services, Liverpool City Council, Cunard Building, Water Street, Liverpool, L3 1AH,

It's not too late to have your say. If you are writing, or emailing, please include:- your name, address and postcode; this is to ensure that we do not receive multiple responses from a single person. A Privacy Notice setting out how the information is being stored and processed is available at:- LiverpoolOurwayForward.com. The outcome will be reported to Full Council and the elected members will then make the final decision on whether to change governance arrangements, taking into account people's views. If Full Council agrees to make a governance change, it will take effect from the elections in May 2023 and will be binding on the Council for 5 years. It will still be possible to hold a referendum in this period if a petition of 5% of electors is presented to the Council asking for a referendum of Liverpool electors to vote on whether to change the governance model.

City Solicitor, Dan Fenwick, said:- "This is the final chance for people to have their say over the future governance of Liverpool City Council. You can do it online or by visiting One Stop Shops and libraries and filling in the feedback form. If you have not already had your say, please do so. If you have, please do not submit further comments. We will be checking for duplicate responses to check for multiple responses. People's views in the consultation will be reported back to the Council, which will make the final decision on whether to keep the Mayoralty or move to a different model of governance from May 2023."

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Cost of living crisis is impacting on how the nation cares for its dogs, says Dogs Trust

Last chance to have your say on how Liverpool is run