British pet owners face dire choices as costs soar

Unable to afford the cost of cremation for his beloved dog Khan under the weight of soaring living costs, David Mcauliffe turned to a social media group offering help to struggling pet owners.

With UK inflation at a 40-year high, millions are feeling the strain of rising bills.

“Especially the way things are going: petrol, electricity, food prices, fuel, everything is a struggle,” Mcauliffe said as he sat with partner Julie Fielding at Pet Cemetery in Holywell, North Wales.

“(But) the dogs rely on you for everything and at the end of the day you have to please them.”

The couple, who live on welfare, reached out to a Facebook group that directs donations to families who otherwise couldn’t afford expenses like cremation, which are becoming increasingly expensive as fuel bills soar.

It costs over £200 ($241) to cremate a medium-sized dog, with prices rising 10 percent over the past two years.

Jason Ward, general manager of The Pet Cemetery, said most owners want their pets to have a private cremation so they can take the remains to bury or keep at home.

“The alternative for families who don’t have private cremation is to have their bodies disposed of en masse with other pets,” he said, adding that they’re often collected in bags from veterinary surgeries with other clinical waste.

During the UK’s protracted pandemic lockdowns, furry companions have been the number one crutch and source of camaraderie for many people.

This strong bond is shown to its fullest at the Pet Cemetery, where many properties serve as resting places for pets and owners.

The ashes of Mcauliffe’s mother and Fielding’s sister already lie next to Khan and her former dog, Flash, and it is the couple’s last wish to be buried with them.

“When the time comes, let’s rest there,” they said.

Not only the cremation of pets has become more expensive.

Mcauliffe and Fielding, who have two other dogs, have seen insurance and other costs spike.

“You just do what you have to do and take care of your pets the best you can,” Mcauliffe said.

“If we have to do without it, then we do without it. As long as our pets are doing well.”

Pets that have recently died often required emergency medical care just before they died – dealing a brutal double financial blow to an already grieving family.

Sometimes families have no choice but to dispose of their pet’s body as waste, which Ward says can cause “stress.”

“(Pets) are a member of the family, they contribute a lot to our wellbeing and during the pandemic all families have been spending more time with their pets,” he said.