Expanding our work into the heart of communities
Here for all animals, always
That’s our unwavering commitment to Scotland’s animals.
Today at the Scottish SPCA we’re announcing some changes that will enable us to continue to improve the lives of animals, both now and in the future, to make Scotland the best place for an animal to call home.
Responding to an animal welfare crisis
Demand for our services has never been greater, with an increase of 10% in calls to our helpline vs last year, a 27% increase in animals coming into our care, an 11% increase in calls to relinquish pets and a 13% increase in welfare incidents. It’s easy to see that we are in the midst of an animal welfare crisis.
It’s easy to see that we are in the midst of an animal welfare crisis.
We are also dealing with increasingly complex cases, such as veterinary and behavioural challenges in pets. These challenges, alongside rising demand for our services, are fuelled in-part by the cost-of-living crisis affecting how people are able to care for their pets.
At the Scottish SPCA it is our duty and our great privilege to be there for animals and the people in their lives. This means we have had to quickly adapt the way we work in order to support animals and people when they need us most.
Last year we expanded pet fostering, improved our rehoming process and launched our Pet Aid service to keep pets where they belong – with their loving owners. We’re now working with food banks and partners throughout Scotland and have seen thousands of pets and people benefit from our community outreach work.
Expanding services, delivering in every community
We know if we want to tackle this crisis, we need to do more. That’s why we are announcing the expansion of our community outreach work.
This will include growing and embedding Pet Aid throughout the country, working in collaboration with partners both nationally and locally, and investing in our regional teams to ensure we can provide support in the heart of every community.
Just last week we were thrilled to share that the Pets at Home Foundation have committed to supporting this work with a three-year grant of £240,000 to help us expand our Pet Aid Veterinary service.
We’re also delighted to be working with Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) to make it easier for people to access animal welfare support via their existing network of offices.
With the expansion of services by the end of 2024, we aim to:
- Increase our adoption rate by 15%, finding forever homes for hundreds more animals
- Triple the number of foster families we work with, from 200 to 600
- Double the number of food banks and community larders we work with through Pet Aid to help pet owners access vital supplies and support
- Add veterinary support to our Pet Aid service, which will improve access to veterinary care for pet owners who are struggling financially
Changes to our operations
As part of the move to focus more services in the heart of communities, two of our smaller animal rescue centres, in Ayrshire and Caithness, will close by the end of October 2023.
All of our colleagues and volunteers who work at these rehoming centres have been offered redeployment into community outreach based roles, meaning there will be no compulsory redundancies attached to the centre closures.
All animals in the two centres will either be fostered, rehomed or moved to other Scottish SPCA sites.
Our centres will always play a vital role in our approach to animal rescue, and securing better animal welfare, and we will continue to operate other centres in key sites across Scotland as well as our world-leading wildlife hospital offering first-class treatment and support to wild animals who need it most.
Supporting our vision
Without the generosity of the Scottish public, we simply couldn’t continue to operate Scotland’s All Animal Emergency Service and be there for the animals who need us most.
If you already support our work, we want to thank you.
Thank you for being part of the rescue and helping animals in every corner of Scotland.
If you would like to support our work either through fundraising, donating or becoming a volunteer, we would be so grateful for your support.
Please click here to find out more.
Helping animals like Jenny and people like Cade
Gorgeous border collie, Jenny, came in to our care temporarily when her owner was struggling with substance abuse.
Jenny was well-loved, and Cade* worked hard on his sobriety so that he could create a safe home for Jenny to come back to.
Despite his best efforts, he was struggling financially and couldn’t afford basic items and veterinary care for Jenny.
Through our Pet Aid service, the local inspector was able to give Cade a bank of pet essentials, so that he could afford her vet treatment. Jenny is now back home with Cade.
Now in recovery, Cade is clear that Jenny is helping him get through this difficult time.
The bond between a person and their pet is so important for both physical and mental wellbeing, so we only ever remove animals as a last resort. Instead, we work to equip people with the tools and knowledge needed to care for their pets.
*We changed Cade’s name to protect his identity