Ruth Downing discovers how pet food banks are providing a lifeline for many dog owners facing hardship.

Carolyn Bointon (left) and Trish Godfrey (right) with Spirit.

The heartbreak of having to surrender your dog to rescue because there isn’t enough money coming in to buy food for the family is not something anyone should have to face.

But, unfortunately, the financial pressures forced upon many households during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the economic climate that has followed, have made cases of extreme hardship like this all too much of a reality.

Trish Godfrey of Derbyshire-based TPL Dog Training first became aware of such a case when she adopted a young and very underweight German Shepherd Dog, given up to rescue by his family because they could no longer afford to feed him.

“I wanted to do something to make a difference... ”

Around the same time, Trish also heard of someone she knew who needed help from a local food bank, and was using their allocation of breakfast cereal to feed their dog as they had nothing else to give him. There was no dog food available at the food bank.