DOG ADOPTION WORKSHOPS LAUNCHED BY BUSY CHARITY

Viktoria Cowley Reports

With over 70 years of history combating animal cruelty, Raystede Centre for Animals is a local charity dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating animals in need. Their remarkable efforts have survived thanks to individuals who support them with donations or the legacy left through their wills — invaluable assistance that allows this incredible cause to continue making an impactful difference!

As the pandemic forced more of us to stay home and work remotely, there sparked an influx of new pet ownership. Unfortunately, now that restrictions have lifted and households have returned to normal routines, many families have faced tough decisions about what will become of their beloved canines as people are no longer able to provide for their furry friends due to time constraints, together with the increased cost-of-living pressures.

We spoke with Gemma Price, Head of Education at Raystede, dedicated to finding new homes for these animals caught up in this crisis situation.

She told us: “Adoption Information Mornings run every Tuesday from 10.00-12.00. Raystede is in its second week of running the

Adoption Information Mornings. People can drop in and ask any questions they have about adoption.”

“If you’re thinking about adopting a small animal, like a hamster, or a big animal, like a horse, or a donkey, and everything in between, we can answer all your questions.

Gemma also advised: “if you’ve already applied to adopt an animal and wondering what’s going on, you can come along and ask where you are and how to be more proactive in the process.

“We found a lot of people think once they submit their application form, that’s their job done and we’ll be in contact but it doesn’t work like that. We have a huge number of applicants for every animal, but specifically dogs, we just simply don’t have time to get back to everyone, so the onus is on the would-be adopter.

“There’s been a huge number of surrendered dogs in the last six months, for loads of different reasons. We’re in a bit of a crisis, we have hundreds of animals on our waiting list at the moment.

“If you want to adopt one of our dogs, we’re looking for good adopters, you have to be prepared to take on a bit of training — all dogs need ongoing training, and dogs need more than ever.

“A lot of them come to us having been Lockdown puppies and they haven’t had the training they needed, which makes them challenging to look after.

“We’re looking for adopters who are committed to the ongoing training process of young dogs that need extra help, and we’ll support you through that. You fill in an application form online, and then you have to keep an eye on our website.

“New dogs come in every day. We give really lengthy descriptions, it’s very important to match up the dog and the person carefully so that everybody’s happy going forward. So you have to read all of that information that sometimes videos about our dogs.

“Some dogs are very popular and will attract over a hundred applications. If you don’t hear from us, don’t be offended, it’s just that there was someone else who got in there quicker or had a different postcode – because we never rehome dogs back to the same postcode that they came from.”

It’s been quite a rocky road for dog ownership over the past three years. Lockdown saw an influx of people wanting the company as they spent more time at home — but when the more recent cost of living crisis hit, many found they couldn’t afford to have a dog. We asked how this has panned out for Raysteade.

Gemma said: “How’s it panned out for animals – is the question – and not very good. At Raystede, we do our best to take in and rehome as many as we can.

“But with the post-COVID years, where people’s lives changed and were no longer able to look after the dogs they took on. They weren’t experienced owners in the first place and so training wasn’t always as easy.

“Lots of dogs coming in post-COVID. Also the cost of living crisis means people are having to give up their animals. They just aren’t given a choice financially, it’s very tough.

“Those two things coming together is causing this huge wave of animals coming in, so we need adopters, which is what our mission is at the moment with this Adoption Information.

“We’re looking for people who are committed to ongoing training. We start the training when they come in. Whether that’s training to counteract separation anxiety, or other antisocial behaviour.

“We don’t put them up for adoption until we think they’re ready, and we feel confident they’ll be able to cope in a new home. We need adopters who are prepared to carry on with that training with our support into the future. And we need people to put these animals at the centre of their lives and make that commitment to keep them going. It’s not always going to be an easy ride. But we think it is ultimately very, very rewarding to help a rescue dog.” www.raystede.org