THEY might be man's best friend, but which are being abandoned in record numbers, the RSPCA has said.RSPCA Queensland spokesman Michael Beatty said 348 animals had been surrendered since the start of the year, compared to 167 animals for the same period last year.
He said increases in rent and mortgage, and the price of groceries and petrol had resulted in animal refuges being overwhelmed with abandoned pets, whose owners could no longer afford them.
In one case, a middle-aged man was living in his car and being supplied with dog food by a refuge rather than give up his two Great Danes - who slept on the back seat.
Mr Beatty said "can't afford" was now the fourth-most cited reason for the surrender of pets compared with eighth last year - and the trend was only set to grow in the worsening economic climate.
He said the prevalent 'no pets allowed' condition on rental properties also was closely linked and was cited as a reason in 338 cases this year (fifth place), up from 283 and sixth place last year.
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"Unwanted litter", "unwanted" and "too many cats" were the top three reasons."
Mr Beatty said the impact of financial stress had spiked in the past four months.
"We estimate it costs between $1400 and $2000 a year, over 10 years, to keep the average dog and a lot of people just don't have that spare cash anymore," he said.
Julie Penlington, of 4Paws Animal Refuge at Maroochydore, said she had noticed a 25 per cent increase in surrenders in the past three months.
Ms Penlington estimated she would receive up to 40 calls a day from desperate pet owners, many of whom had been forced to sell their homes or move to cheaper rental homes which did not allow pets.
"The cost of living is out of control, a lot of people are desperate and in tears ... but as one caller said, it was a choice of living in the car with the kids and the dog, or finding a cheaper house (that didn't allow pets)," she said.
Ms Penlington said landlords had to accept families with pets, suggesting they charge a pet bond and collect references from vets to judge the responsibility of prospective tenants.
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