Published: August 21, 2008 - 04:45 PM
By Amanda Edmonds
The Courier Mail has reported that the RSPCA are seeing an increase in the number of family pets being abandoned because families can no longer afford to keep them.
The RSPCA’s Queensland spokesman Michael Beatty, states that 348 animals have been surrendered in 2008, compared to just 167 for the same period last year. The rising cost of groceries and petrol as well as increasing rents and mortgages, has resulted in owners being unable to afford the family dog or cat.
Animal refuges are struggling to cope with the influx, with “can’t afford” rising on the list of most cited reasons for pet surrender, from 8th place last year to 4th this year. The impact of financial stress has spiked in the last four months particularly, Mr Beatty said. "We estimate it costs between $1400 and $2000 a year, over 10 years, to keep the average dog and a lot of people just don't have that spare cash anymore," he said.
People are cutting back on the costs they can avoid, such as pet ownership and things that have not been considered luxuries in the past now are. But what can people do about those costs that are unavoidable, such as gas and electricity? There are services available, such as price comparison, to help find the cheapest prices and ease the financial pressure.
David Power of ShopAround says that “At ShopAround we want to help people save money on their unavoidable living costs such as their electricity prices and gas costs by shopping around for the best price which will leave more money in their pockets for what they really want to spend it on. Our electricity comparison and gas price comparison service that allows consumers to compare Victorian electricity suppliers and Victorian gas companies is an easy way for consumers to shop around and save hundreds on their living costs.”
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