JAKARTA - Australia's animal shelter is full, and the wait to return the animal can last eight months as pet owners return to work, facing an increase in costs.
"During my 20 years of rescue, I've never seen it like this," said Monika Biernacki, founder of Monika's Doggie Rescue from a shelter on the northern outskirts of Sydney.
"The number of animals in cages and shelters is desperate to come out. The number of calls, emails, text we get here from people who want to hand over their animals and it never ends. It's heartbreaking," he added.
Caring for pets is getting more and more difficult and expensive, said Biernacki, which started the shelter in 2001.
The price of pets-related products rose 12 percent in the first half of this year, doubling the price of human food and beverages, according to government data. Lack of rental houses also makes it more difficult to find pet-friendly housing.
Meanwhile, high school teacher Holly Medcalf bought her dog Opi during the pandemic and has spent nearly USD 4.000 on a veterinarian's visit.
"You have all these really good ideas. And then in reality, it's a lot of pressure and hard work," he said.
Many have bought pets as friends for the COVID-19 lockdown, now aware of the responsibilities they have, said Stephen Albin, chief executive of the New South Wales Animal Welfare Society.
"COVID is a very strange time and especially in Australia, where we have a long lockdown. I think some people just want friendship, so they go and get pets, they get a companion but they don't really understand what it takes for pets."
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