2023-05-17 22:45:10
“A successful edition”. With the approach of summer, the SPA, which had opened the doors of its 63 shelters on the weekend of May 13 and 14, saw 630 of its adopted animals, it announced on Wednesday evening. A total of 252 dogs, 343 cats and 35 new pets, rabbits and other rodents have found new homes. “A successful edition with great encounters and 630 responsible adoptions. We hope that the awareness raised during these Open Days will bear fruit”, confided Jacques-Charles Fombonne, President of the SPA.
To optimize its “responsible adoption” mission, the SPA had launched a survey in March to better understand the behavior of the French. Among the obstacles and levers to adopting a pet, 33% of people questioned declared that they did not have animals and were not considering it. 21% cited financial reasons, with 44% associating them with inflation.
Stagnating adoptions
“In this survey, financial reasons came in third place,” noted Jacques-Charles Fombonne, who deplores “a 10% increase in abandonments and a stagnation in adoptions.” “It is assumed that inflation is one of the reasons for the abandonment of animals because it is the only parameter that has changed. People who abandon their animal because they can no longer meet its needs do not say so, certainly out of modesty. It is heartbreaking for them to abandon them,” he said.
“In 2019, an animal cost us around 650 euros, i.e. the operating budget divided by the number of animals saved. This year we are at 924 euros per animal”, he worries, fearing “in the medium term, fewer adoptions, more abandonments and fewer contributions if people are taken by the throat by inflation! “.
For its part, to fight against abandonment as summer approaches, the 30 million friends Foundation has just launched its new online platform to “prepare for holidays with your pet”. A multi-criteria search engine and a chatbot or dog-bot allows owners to ask questions and benefit from downloadable personalized advice. 36,476 accommodations, 203 beaches, 236 boarding houses and daycare centers where animals are accepted are listed on an interactive map.
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