Animal rescue forced to turn animals due to financial difficulties

An animal rescue organisation is having to turn animals away and may even have to close its doors due to financial difficulties.

Broken Halo Rescue UK, a foster based rescue organisation which helps animals all over the country, is aiming to crowdfund £10,000 in order to stay open.

Since July, they have rehomed 171 animals and they hope to continue to rehabilitate those in their care – but now they’re desperate for help.

Kerry Flynn, a volunteer at Broken Halo Rescue UK, said: “We can’t carry on unless we get some more donations.

“I’ve used a lot of my own wages to pay for treatment and I am now in debt because of other people’s animals.

“It’s so difficult to turn down an animal that needs you because if that animal doesn’t have a rescue space or an owner, there’s no one there to financially support them and they will be put to sleep.”

Flynn looks after the medical side of Broken Halo Rescue UK as she is also a full time head veterinary nurse at MediVet in Barnes.

She says the rescue organisation is now having to make decisions about which animals they accept regarding illness, and they’re forced to turn some aways because they don’t have the finances or foster homes. 

She described this as a real shame as she says they’re the animals who need their help the most.

Flynn said: “I really do hope things will change. But as the cost-of-living goes up, a lot of people can’t afford animals and they definitely can’t afford vet bills.”

Flynn says when they take in a mother and kittens, the cost of food and litter for eleven weeks is between £600 and £700, and that’s excluding medical bills. 

When an animal is ill, Flynn says the costs can go into the thousands. 

The lifetime cost of owning a dog could be at least £5,500 for smaller breeds, and a minimum of £12,200 for larger breeds, figures from the PDSA show.

According to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, the average annual cost of a cat is around £1,500 a year.

Last week, another dog, a Shar Pei called Tony, was abandoned in Barnes.

When Broken Halo UK contacted the owner, they said they did not want him back. 

He’s only six years old and Flynn described him as friendly and docile, but they’re struggling to find him a permanent home. 

When he was rescued, he was underweight and covered in fleas. 

He also suffers from anxiety, but is now working with a behaviourist.

Alongside Tony, they have at least 50 animals in foster care right now, with all the costs paid for by Broken Halo Rescue UK.

Broken Halo Rescue UK abandoned, stray or abused animals, and those at risk of being euthanized.

They’re run completely by volunteers and their work involves placing animals into foster homes and finding them a long term home. 

Whilst animals are in foster homes, Broken Halo Rescue covers all of the bills – from food to medical.

Even after they’ve found the animals a home, they provide lifetime around the clock support and provide behaviourist support. 

You can donate to their crowdfunding here.

Featured image credit: Kerry Flynn