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A Caithness animal charity says it has seen a 250 per cent enhance in queries for its rehoming service for the reason that efficient closure of the Scottish SPCA centre at Balmore.
The volunteer-run KWK9, which supplies the service for needy dogs in Caithness, north Sutherland and Orkney, mentioned that the stress of caring for pets within the space had been shifted onto the group and native volunteers.
The Balmore centre formally closed this week, however all of the animals had been eliminated by early October after the shock announcement by the SSPCA.
An enormous backlash from the group and politicians failed to vary the nationwide charity’s plans, however a neighborhood marketing campaign group Save Balmore – since backed by the John O’Groat Journal – was arrange and a petition to retain the centre gained greater than 3800 signatures.
This week, KWK9 said: “We always have busy periods and they can’t always be predicted but up to October 1 we have had several months where we have had between four and six requests for help to rehome a dog. Not all of those have resulted in a dog coming to us but the numbers have not been unusual.
“From October 1-31 we have had 14 requests for rehoming. That’s right, 14!
“Some of those people have approached the SSPCA first and been told that the rehoming centre at Inverness is full so they can’t help.”
They added that they’d proceed to assist the place they may, including that they’d proceed to have sleepless nights worrying in regards to the dogs they couldn’t assist.
KWK9 added: “We are asking that anyone who is requesting help with rehoming a dog contacts the SSPCA first if that’s what they would normally have done.
“We appreciate that this adds to the trauma of rehoming but it’s really important that the SSPCA head office are not left thinking that their strategy for this area is working. It’s not!
“They have just shifted a whole load of stress onto people needing to rehome their dogs and onto us and other small rescuers, most of whom, like us, do not get paid for what they do.”
The SSPCA has mentioned it was closing the Balmore centre and one other one in Ayr and focusing its efforts on offering extra providers in the neighborhood as a way to cut back demand on its centres.
