In the Big Apple, many pet owners are relocating to neighborhoods that either forbid pets or aren't pet-friendly, giving up their pets and returning adopted animals to shelters.

The animal welfare organization's director of marketing and communications, Katy Hansen, cited housing as the main factor.

She also mentioned the lack of pet-friendliness in cheap lodging.

She continued by saying that many shelters are indeed seeing an increase in the number of returned pets due to the rising cost of everything, including pet food, supplies, and other necessities.

Data from 1,050 animal shelters across the nation provided by Shelter Animals Count, a nonprofit organization that tracks the nation's "animal welfare landscape," revealed that between January and June of this year, the number of surrendered pets increased from 31,606 to 38,066.

In Akron, Ohio, pet owners are reportedly bringing animals to shelters at alarming rates, according to news reports from across the nation.

The same is happening in Johnson City, Tennessee; Jacksonville and Orlando, Florida; Farmington, New Mexico; Stockton, California; Houston, Texas; and Missoula, Montana.

Annual Costs, Upkeep, and Rent

The average annual cost of a dog is $1,391, and the average annual cost of cat upkeep is $1,149, according to the ASPCA.

The price of professional grooming, dental care, one-time fees for medical procedures, training, and pet accessories are not included in these estimates.

According to Pet Age, a business-to-business pet news company, the Consumer Price Index shows that overall pet costs have increased 7.1% year to date.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, some of the "largest contributors" to the rising consumer price index for all urban consumers on July 13 included gasoline, housing, and food.

In June, the food index increased by 1%, the shelter index increased by 0.6 %, and the gas index increased by 11.20%.

According to a new Rent.com rent report, the national average rent price for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,701, or up 25.3% year over year, and the price for a two-bedroom apartment is $2,048, or up 26.5% year-over-year.

Even though the website claimed that rent prices "stabilized this month," there are still some that cannot afford the rising prices.

Pets Given Up

An unidentified pet owner in Jacksonville left a 10-month-old dog at the John Roberts dog park early in July with a letter detailing that they were unable to maintain the pet due to a rent increase.

The vast majority of pandemic pets are still bringing families joy and comfort, despite changes in circumstances, according to research on pet relinquishment conducted by the ASPCA in May 2021.

Loving owners also continue to recognize the crucial role that their pets play in their lives.

The organization's spokesperson added that seasonality and other concurrent factors, such as breeding seasons, medical and behavioral issues, and long-term staffing shortages, cause fluctuations in shelter intake and adoption rates.

The ASPCA added that we can keep pets safe and healthy in their homes and out of shelters while also enhancing the lives of their people by making basic veterinary care affordable and available to those who need it the most.

The ASPCA is one of many animal welfare organizations working to offer pets and owners resources and subsidized veterinary care, including pet food products and grooming services, with a particular focus on Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami.

Read also: Abandoned Dogs Increase as Pet Owners Struggle from Rising Cost of Living in the UK 

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) officials confirmed that their group is receiving more reports of animals being abandoned at shelters.

The group published a story in May about a 6-year-old dog named Baby Girl who was left behind by her evicted owner in Wisconsin after being turned away from seven animal shelters.

According to PETA, shelters are under pressure to adopt "no-kill" policies; however, these facilities manipulate statistics by making it difficult for people to turn in animals and only accepting those they deem to be the most adoptable, as opposed to open-admission shelters, which take in all comers.

In addition, PETA exhorts owners to do everything within their power to keep their pets, and urges everyone to spay or neuter their pets to stop the birth of additional animals into a world already overrun with strays.

Furthermore PETA saif that if pet owners discover that they are unable to care for their animal companions, they should research open-admission shelters that can take in any animal in need, regardless of whether or not they are suitable for adoption due to their temperament, health, or physical condition, the New York Post reported.

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