Dog charity KWK9 sees 250% rise in demand after Balmore closure
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A Caithness animal charity says it has seen a 250 per cent increase in queries for its rehoming service since the effective closure of the Scottish SPCA centre at Balmore.
The volunteer-run KWK9, which provides the service for needy dogs in Caithness, north Sutherland and Orkney, said that the stress of caring for pets in the area had been shifted onto the community and local volunteers.
The Balmore centre officially closed this week, but all the animals had been removed by early October after the shock announcement by the SSPCA.
A huge backlash from the community and politicians failed to change the national charity’s plans, but a local campaign group Save Balmore – since backed by the John O’Groat Journal – was set up and a petition to retain the centre gained more than 3800 signatures.
This week, KWK9 stated: “We always have busy periods and they can’t always be predicted but up to October 1 we have had several months where we have had between four and six requests for help to rehome a dog. Not all of those have resulted in a dog coming to us but the numbers have not been unusual.
“From October 1-31 we have had 14 requests for rehoming. That’s right, 14!
“Some of those people have approached the SSPCA first and been told that the rehoming centre at Inverness is full so they can’t help.”
They added that they would continue to help where they could, adding that they would continue to have sleepless nights worrying about the dogs they couldn’t help.
KWK9 added: “We are asking that anyone who is requesting help with rehoming a dog contacts the SSPCA first if that’s what they would normally have done.
“We appreciate that this adds to the trauma of rehoming but it’s really important that the SSPCA head office are not left thinking that their strategy for this area is working. It’s not!
“They have just shifted a whole load of stress onto people needing to rehome their dogs and onto us and other small rescuers, most of whom, like us, do not get paid for what they do.”
The SSPCA has said it was closing the Balmore centre and another one in Ayr and focusing its efforts on providing more services in the community in order to reduce demand on its centres.
