Cost of living crisis hits UK pets and their owners

Due to the soaring cost of living in the UK, some pet owners are abandoning their four-legged companions, according to an animal charity based in the Midlands. Owners are giving up their pets because they can no longer afford the costs associated with them.

Rachel Frost, Birmingham Dogs Home Fundraiser said "I don't think we really saw that the cost of living was going to increase, we kind of knew about the lockdown dogs and people not having the time for them once things got back to normal, the socialising aspect of dogs during lockdown. But the cost of living has shocked people, I think. Everything's gone up, so that's really tough on families, it's a very hard decision to make."

The U.K. faces what economists say will be the biggest drop in living standards since the mid-1950s as rocketing energy costs, rising food prices and tax increases overshadow higher wages. Inflation in the United Kingdom accelerated to 7% in the 12 months through March, the highest annual rate since March 1992.