AN ANIMAL charity has released an advert showing dog owners making the tough decision to hand their dogs, which is set to increase.

The recordings made by Dogs Trust have been shared via a radio and video advert as part of the charity’s ongoing ‘Change the Tale’ campaign.

Between August 2020 and January 2021, Dogs Trust saw a 41 per cent increase in web traffic to its ‘Giving Up Your Dog’ page compared to the six-month period beforehand.

Dogs Trust Evesham is working with four-year-old Bull Mastiff Ray, to give him a happy ending,

The mutt came into the care of Dogs Trust in January 2021 after a change in his owner’s circumstances.

Chris Slight, manager at Dogs Trust Evesham, said:

“We’re always on hand to help dogs like Ray when their owners can no longer care for them and we’re working hard to find a new owner who can give him a second chance at happiness.

“We know that the pandemic and its economic repercussions will have devastating effects on some people’s lives and their ability to care for their pets. When people take on the responsibilities of dog ownership, they do so with the best intentions to care for them long-term. “But as the calls to Dogs Trust show, in these extraordinary times circumstances can change in a heartbeat, leaving owners with incredibly tough decisions to make.”

The charity provides a range of services to help keep dogs and their owners together, including support for dog owners without a home and a unique fostering service for dog owners experiencing domestic abuse.

Chris added: “It is heart-breaking to hear someone having to choose between a roof over their head, or their dog and we’d like to thank the people who made these calls for allowing us to share their story and for coming to us in their time of need. Unfortunately, we believe the worst is yet to come and we expect many more calls like this as the pandemic fallout continues.”

Visit: dogstrust.org.uk/changethetale