Credit Crunch

MAN’S best friend has become a victim of the credit crisis – with hard-up families in areas across the country abandoning their dogs or having them put down.Rescue centres in Cornwall have reported an increase in the number of animals handed in by owners who have either been evicted from their homes or are struggling with rising interest rates and fuel and food prices. Animals are also facing neglect because their owners are having to take second jobs or work over-time to meet costs.And with summer approaching, sanctuaries are dreading the influx of strays when families abandon their pets rather than pay for boarding kennels.Cambourne-based Sue Smith, who runs one of the county’s canine campaigning groups, said: “People are looking within their families to reduce their outgoings, and non-necessities and dogs are becoming the invisible victims.“It’s soul-destroying. To some people dogs are their family, their life and their passion and they are pleading with us and desperate.”