That’s all folks as bunny ends lost pet lockdown
The Scottish SPCA’s Ayrshire Animal Rescue Centre is back finding animals their forever home after lockdown saw rehoming completely suspended for almost two months.
After trialling a limited rehoming service in May, the centre is now rehoming animals using a combination of an online-only application system, carefully controlled appointments and ‘virtual home checks’ where prospective owners and their homes are vetted via Zoom calls.
Now the charity have this lovely girl in their care at the Mainholm centre and hope- much like the flower she is named after- her confidence can blossom with a loving owner.
Peony is a lionhead rabbit who is around 10 months old.
She is a nervous girl and has not had much handling previously, so the Scottish SPCA are looking for an experienced owner who can dedicate their time to building up her confidence.
Centre manager, Marion Hainey, said one positive of lockdown has been more time to spend with the animals.
Marion said: “It was difficult during lockdown as although we couldn’t rehome any animals we still had animals coming in to the centre that needed to be cared for.
“Our team have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to make sure all our animals are still receiving the same high standards of care as normal.
“In some ways, the lockdown has even been positive for the animals as we’ve had a bit more time to spend with them.
“However, we know the kennel environment can be stressful for animals so it’s great that we can now move forward and start finding them forever homes.”
Although the Society’s centres were closed to the public, the Scottish SPCA’s animal helpline continued to take calls regarding injured, abused and neglected animals with over 32,000 calls coming in during the lockdown period.
Their animal rescue officers and inspectors attended over 14,000 incidents – an average of 190 incidents per day.
Although rehoming was suspended, 243 animals were fostered out across Scotland to Scottish SPCA staff members with 48 of those going on to be adopted permanently by their foster carers.
Thankfully, there did not appear to be an increase in incidences of animal abandonment over the lockdown period.
Marion added: “We’re pleased that, so far, our figures have not shown an increase in abandonments or strays since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, we’ve seen a decrease compared to 2019’s figures.
“We believe Scotland is a nation of animal lovers and we’re hopeful that we won’t see an upsurge in pets coming in to the centre after lockdown.
“If anyone does have concerns about an animal, or their ability to care for their pet, they can call our animal helpline in confidence on 03000 999 999.”
Anyone who would be interested in rehoming an animal should visit the
Scottish SPCA website and follow the online application process: scottishspca. org/rehome/rehome
•If you think you can offer Peony a loving home, please apply via the Scottish SPCA website: scottishspca.org/rehomea-pet/3116-sam