Animal shelters need landlords help

Animal shelters need landlords help STRUGGLING animal shelters are calling for tougher rules on pet owners to combat the growing numbers of unwanted pets. Jane Shepherd, who with a band of volunteers has run The Algernon Animal Trust from her home in Whittlebury, for 11 years, is currently running at more than double her capacity and expects her intake to increase again this year. Ms Shepherd is calling on landlords to relax their rules to help pet owners suffering in the economic climate: "One of the problems people face is having to leave their homes and not being allowed to take beloved pets into rented accommodation. "Landlords need to rethink their restrictive policies to avoid splitting families up and creating more strays. "I've dealt with people who have told me they've offered extra money or a larger deposit. "Children do terrible damage to properties but they don't stop that." She added: "I go to houses to pick animals up and they've got cigarettes, booze and widescreen televisions, but they won't spend money on their animals. They've become a disposal item." Petrina Alderman, founder of Northamptonshire Animals Needing Nurturing and Adoption (NANNA), agreed the problem is largely due to a throw-away culture. She said: "If people are told they aren't allowed pets they get rid of them, but you wouldn't get rid of your children. That's the world we're living in, nothing matters." Mrs Alderman is keen to see tighter rules. She said: "Everybody who has an animal should be licensed using their national insurance number. That's the one thing that stays with you for life." She said: "We're full to overflowing and we're running out of money. It's going to get worse because there's breeding still happening. We need to make it more difficult. "Last year was horrendous. We had to shut our doors in December as we couldn't take any more in. We just got them dumped outside the gates." "It's a very sad situation, but if it wasn't accommodation, it would be allergies, a newborn baby, a new job. It all comes down to pretty much the same thing; 70 per cent of the animals are just no longer wanted. We need to make people be responsible." Ms Shepherd added: "It is such a struggle to keep going these days when more and more animals need help. "It's stretching me to the limit. I can't see an end to it." Source: Northampton Chronicle & Echo