It is a very unfortunate fact of life that when the country is going through hard economic times, our pets start to pay the ultimate price. In other words, while the UK endures a recession, the number of pets being abandoned rises through the roof and charities really struggle to re-house them all.
From dog kennels to chicken coops and pet food, all of these products come at a price and it certainly cannot help that the Government chooses to cash in on this area by kindly applying a 17.5% VAT rate (due to go up in 2011 to 20%).
The most valuable piece of advice here must be that a massive amount of thought should be put into deciding whether or not to open your home to a pet in the first place. You should never choose an animal as a status symbol and only ever for companionship and the ultimate reward the animal will bring to you.
It is always very cruel when a pet is abandoned as a cost-cutting measure within the household. Pets really do need to take priority in these situations and budgets should be cut in every other area before you get around to considering to boot Tiddles or Fido out.
That old saying that a pet is for life and not just for Christmas needs to stand firm and all pet owners have an onus of responsibility to do the best by their additions to the family.
