Dogs Trust: Cost of living leading to 'dog housing crisis'

Dogs Trust said adoption numbers had dropped because people could not afford to take on a new pet

Dogs are facing a "looming housing crisis" due to the rising cost of living, an animal charity has said.

Dogs Trust said it had been forced to issue an urgent appeal for people to become temporary pet foster carers.

It said more than a third of surveyed dog owners in Yorkshire and the Humber felt it was currently harder to give their dog all that they need.

The charity said inquiries to give up a dog were at the highest level since its records started.

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More foster carers like Christine Drysdale from Leeds are urgently needed, the charity said

The Dogs Trust, which has a centre in Leeds, West Yorkshire, said the "sky-high cost of essentials" meant many dog owners were unable to properly provide for their pets.

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It said adoption numbers were also dropping because people could not afford to take on a new dog.

Its August survey, which was returned by 1,200 dog owners, also suggested more than half of the respondents in the Yorkshire and the Humber region considered vet bills to be their biggest financial canine concern in the coming months.

The charity, which has a centre in Leeds, said enquiries to give up a dog were at the highest level since its records started

Dogs Trust chief executive Owen Sharp said the UK was rapidly heading towards having "a surplus of dogs whose owners need to give them up, but a deficit of people who can afford to take on a new dog".

He said: "We're issuing an urgent call for emergency foster carers, especially people with experience of caring for big dogs, who can provide a port in a storm to a dog who - for the moment - has nowhere else to go.

"Likewise, if you're struggling to afford looking after your own dog, Dogs Trust will do all it can to help."