Skylor animal rescue receives dozens of calls a day

Skylor's Animal Rescue, which is based in Deeside, Flintshire, is a family run dog rescue centre that holds between 12-14 dogs including long term fosters.

The centre is currently at full capacity and even has around 20 dogs on its' waiting list. 

The rescue receives dozens of calls daily for people looking to rehome their dogs, often as a result of the rising cost of living. 

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Dawn Taylor, founder of the rescue, said: "I'd say in the past month we have had more phone calls to take in dogs and we just can't take them in because we are full already."

The 45-year-old believes the rising cost of living has impacted pet owners and is causing more dogs to be taken in by rescues. 

She said: "People are having to work more hours to provide for their families [...] in other cases people are having to rehome their dogs because of vet bills, food costs, and their own living costs are too high."

"It's heart-breaking to see families that can't afford their pets anymore."

Mrs Taylor has felt the strain of rising energy prices at the rescue too and has noticed an increase in the cost to heat the kennels. 

Skylors Animal Rescue

The main cost of the rescue is vet bills which are at least £200 per dog, not including any specific issues that need treating. 

The rescue attends Animals Trust in Wrexham which is a not-for-profit veterinary surgery that allows free consultations for sick or injured pets that come into the surgery.

Another worry for the rescue owner is the drop in the number of people adopting dogs meaning some of the dogs are at the rescue for extended periods of time. 

She said: "We, as a rescue, don't want the dogs, we will help but we prefer for the dogs to stay with their families as that's what they know and they are a family member."

Mrs Taylor believes irresponsible puppy breeding, and breeders not carrying out proper checks before selling puppies is worsening the problem.

She said: "They have to look into the families to start with, can they afford the dogs as you can't just sell that dog and hope for the best as then they will end up in rescue.

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"If you are a responsible breeder you should be doing that anyway but there's some people that are just doing it for the money."

Recent figures by RSPCA Wales indicate that investigations and prosecutions into illegal puppy breeding taken forward by local authorities in Wales has risen significantly.

Welsh local authorities received almost 1,000 enquiries from concerned members of the public in 2020 and 2021 – with this figure having increased by 6.75 per cent in the latter.

RSPCA Wales’ public affairs officer Billie-Jade Thomas said: "These figures demonstrate there's still significant issues with poor puppy breeding practices in Wales - and we're worried they may only be the tip of the iceberg.”

Dawn Taylor with Billy

The Skylor's Animal Rescue currently have nine dogs looking for adoption and is also seeking extra help from dog walkers or volunteers. 

The centre requires those wanting to adopt to fill out a detailed application form followed by a home check to ensure their property is suitable and the right environment for the dog and that landlords are happy with pets.

The rescue is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm by appointment only for those wanting to visit a certain dog. 

Information about the current dogs needing rehoming can be found on their website: www.skylorsanimalrescue.com/