People who have had the give up beloved pets have told of how difficult it is, with one family saying it was “one of the hardest things” they have ever had to do. It comes as the number of people who are unable to keep their furry friends soars across the country – and Sussex is no exception. Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, an animal rescue centre in Ringmer, near Lewes, has seen the number of surrender requests soar in recent years.
Fuzzbert the guinea pig was surrendered to Raystede (Image: Raystede) In the year to April 2024, the charity had 4,278 requests. The same time the previous year, it had 4,036, compared to the number of animals Raystede could take in the year to April 2020, which was 2,867. The charity said a range of factors have impacted this, including the Covid pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Raystede has a wait list of hundreds of animals waiting to be taken in so they can be rehomed. In light of World Animal Day on October 4, Miriam Dowding, operations manager at Raystede said: " Raystede has been working tirelessly to improve the lives of animals for over 70 years. The values and commitment to animal welfare that was shown by our founder back in 1952 still stand true today.
However, the continuing effects of the animal welfare and cost of living crises mean that we have continued to see an increase in the number of animals we have been asked to take in. “Our rescue centre services are stretched like never before as sadly, people .
