Enabling Pet Care in the Community Research

Over the last 50 years, NAWT has welcomed thousands of homeless animals into its rescue centres for a variety of reasons.

Many people believe that the hardest part of rescue is taking in neglected or mistreated animals, but this isn’t always the case. With those animals, we can at least feel sure that the future they have in rescue and then with a new family is going to be much happier than the past they are leaving behind.

In fact, often the hardest part of rescue is accepting animals from devastated loving owners, who have fallen on hard times and simply can’t afford to offer their pet the life they deserve. It is those responsible people, who want nothing but the best for their animal, which NAWT would like to develop a service for, so that more responsible pet owners can stay together with their pet.

Furthermore, NAWT has a great deal of older supporters who have previously owned pets and who could offer a perfect home to an animal in rescue. However, the cost implications of caring for a pet and a worry of what would happen to the animal should it outlive them puts many of these would-be-perfect owners off welcoming another pet into their home.

As part of the preparation to develop a project that addresses these concerns, we’d like to hear from you; our fellow animal lovers, pet owners, and members of our surrounding communities. The feedback you give will help us to shape a project that offers the most vital services to the people most in need.

Thank you for your time and your help to create a charitable service that will be all about Enabling Pet Care in the Community.

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* 1. Do you currently own, or have you ever owned, a pet?

Yes

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* 2. If yes, what species do you own? (Tick all that apply)

Cat

Dog

Small animal (rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, etc)

Large animal (horse, other field animal)

Other (please specify)

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* 3. If you answered yes to question 1, do you consider your pet to have played an important role in enhancing or maintaining your physical and/or mental health?

Yes

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* 4. Have you, or has anyone you know, been forced to relinquish a pet due to any of the following reasons:

Poor health, which left you/them struggling with the practical side of pet care (walking, feeding, cleaning etc.)

A change in financial circumstances, such as a job loss, which left you/them struggling to pay for pet provisions (food, insurance, medical treatment etc.)

A housing crisis, which led to a move that couldn’t accommodate your/their pet

A lack of transport, which made it impossible to attend veterinary and other essential pet care appointments

No, neither me nor anyone I know has ever been forced to relinquish a pet

Other (please specify)

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* 5. If something unexpected were to happen to you, which required you to spend a night away from home (for example, if you had to go into hospital), would you have someone that you could rely on to take care of your pet for the duration of your time away?

Yes

I don’t own a pet for this reason

I don’t own a pet

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* 6. If you were forced to relinquish a pet due to circumstances outside of your control, such as ill health, do you believe this would have a detrimental effect on your mental health?

Yes

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* 7. Prioritising from 1 – 5, with 1 being the most important and 5 being the least important, what services do you believe would be beneficial to pet owners in your community:

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* 8. Do any of the aforementioned services already exist in your community?

Yes

Not Sure

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* 9. If you answered yes to question 8, are you able to name the services or service providers?

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* 10. Would you apply for help from any of the aforementioned services, either personally or on behalf of someone in your family/community who you know struggles with certain aspects of pet care?

Yes, I am in need of one of these services myself

Yes, I would apply on behalf of someone in my family/community, who I know is in need of a service like this

No, I do not require a service like this and neither does anyone I know

No, I do not require a service like this right now but I would be reassured to know one existed should I need it

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* 11. Do you believe any of the aforementioned services are needed in your community?

Yes

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* 12. If you were/are elderly and living alone, would you be/are you concerned about welcoming a new pet into your home for companionship because of the chance the pet might outlive you?

Yes

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* 13. If you were/are elderly and/or living alone, would you be/are you concerned about welcoming a new pet into your home for companionship because of the chance that their care requirements could become too much for you to cope with?

Yes

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* 14. If you answered yes to either of the previous two questions, would you be interested in fostering a long-term rescue animal so that the animal had a home to spend time in rather than staying in kennels, knowing that the rescue would ultimately still be responsible for that animal’s care provisions?

Yes, I would welcome this opportunity if elderly and living alone

Maybe. Depending on the animal, I might consider fostering if it meant I could have the benefit of animal companionship without worrying if I can provide the right care

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* 15. Would you like to see your community health care provider offer a referral scheme for services like this, in cases where pets can offer, or are already offering, much-needed companionship?

Yes, I would like to see people suffering from loneliness and isolation being offered practical support before resorting to medication

No, I don’t believe these services would do enough to help

Not sure

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* 16. If you are interested in learning more about our Enabling Pet Care in the Community project and would be happy to be contacted with regards to the questions above, please let us know your contact details below

Name

Phone