National Animal Welfare Trust: Watford cost-of-living crisis

The National Animal Welfare Trust (NAWT) took in 76 stray dogs in 2022, but only had 28 in 2019, pre-pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.

In fact, the charity has seen an overall increase in the number of animals it has helped since the cost-of-living crisis.

In 2019, the charity helped 471 animals, but this rose by nearly 7% in 2022 to 504.

For the full story, watch the video below.

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Josie Hantonne, NAWT fundraising officer, told the Watford Observer: “We’ve seen a lot of animals that we have homed before have to come back to us.

Josie Hantonne, fundraising officer, National Animal Welfare Trust (Image: Kimberley Hackett)

“The homes they went to loved them unconditionally and they have been there for years some of them; the owners couldn’t afford to keep them anymore.”

Linda Ellis, Pet Food Bank (Image: Kimberley Hackett)

With some families in Watford and the surrounding areas having to give up pets due to struggling with their finances, Linda Ellis, who lives in Bushey, has taken a new approach to helping others.