The RSPCA is urging people in the new city to consider adopting large dog breeds this Adoptober, as the charity struggles with record numbers of dogs in its care.
The charity says it can take up to seven times longer to find a fur-ever home for large breeds when compared to smaller pooches.
“We are in an unprecedented rehoming crisis as several large-scale cruelty and neglect cases have led to record numbers of dogs and cats in our care and we are at risk of running out of space,” said RSPCA pet behaviour expert Dr Sam Gaines, “We desperately need adopters now more than ever, so we can continue to rescue and care for the animals who need us.
“It’s the perfect storm with dogs rescued from cruelty and neglect needing longer to recover and needing more specialist homes, and at the same time, rehoming has slowed right across the welfare sector.”
“Gentle giants, big softies and larger than life characters; we’ve got every kind of big dog, each one is unique, special and deserves a second chance of happiness.”
The charity says that the top three breeds taking longer to rehome are Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Lurchers and German Shepherds.
“Unlike other charities, RSPCA dogs have been rescued from cruelty and neglect and sadly many have behavioural issues as a result of their experiences,” said RSPCA operations manager Glenn Mayoll, “These special dogs need extra special people who are willing to win their trust, be patient and work with them to help them recover from their past.
“We’d love people to put perceptions about big dogs or specific breeds to one side. Every dog in our care has a unique story of survival, and potential adopters might be surprised by who is a good match for them.
“We are confident the right homes are out there and we urgently need to find them.”
The RSPCA urges anyone looking to rehome a bigger breed to visit its dedicated website: www.rspca.org.uk/findapet
