The pet food banks keeping animals with their owners

“A lot of people seem to think you shouldn’t have a pet if you can’t feed it, but it’s a bigger picture than that.”

Anita Arthur co-founded Animal Foodbank UK with Robert Miller, after both had volunteered for animal charities and recognised how many people were struggling to feed their beloved pets.

With many food banks not offering pet food, Ms Arthur and Mr Miller, from Redditch, realised there was a need for one offering pet food.

What started off with two £20 donations from its co-founders has now exploded into a community of more than 120 volunteers, covering the expanse of the UK from Scotland down to Cornwall, donating food to almost 6,000 pet owners.

Over the last three years the group, which now has charity status, has donated 150,000 meals for pets in need across England, Scotland and Wales.

Ms Arthur believes they may be the only service in the UK that sends out pet food donations by delivery, as opposed to collection services.

“We don’t have to be referred to. Anybody can call, drop into our drop-in centres and we’ll help them,” Ms Arthur said.

People receive two weeks’ worth of food for their pets each month, and the group also works with other organisations such as homeless accommodation services to help people in need.

The charity does not request proof of low income or benefits in order to send out donations, and there are only two reasons they will not provide donations to an applicant.

“If anybody’s breeding dogs, we won’t help them, because we’ve got to promote responsible ownership,” Ms Arthur said.

“And if people have food off us, then go and get more pets and come back for more food, we will refuse.”

Another pet food bank, established more recently in the West Midlands, is the West Bromwich Emergency Pet Pantry, run by 47-year-old Louise Colledge.

With donation points in West Bromwich and Smethwick, the pet pantry tries to cover the whole of Sandwell.

“I used to work for a local charity, which provided a food bank for humans, but a lot of people came in and asked for pet food,” Ms Colledge said.

“I thought it was something missing from the area.”

People can phone, text or email the group for a referral, and can receive a week’s worth of pet food three times over a six-month period, with longer-lasting support provided in more severe circumstances.

Both groups recognise the difficult circumstances that can lead to people struggling to provide for their pets.

“We have had a lady who escaped domestic violence and had to leave with her two dogs and the children,” Ms Colledge said.

“We’ve supported her a bit extra, while getting back on her feet and sorting benefits out.”

Over at Animal Foodbank UK, Ms Arthur said they had seen a widow come to them after struggling to pay for her husband’s headstone, while another woman was set back by the cost of euthanising her dog.

“Using her money to end the suffering of her dog meant she was left without money to feed the rest of her pets,” Ms Arthur said.

What is important to both groups is supporting struggling pet owners without judgement and the wider implications that can have for the people they help.

“If we can feed a pensioner’s dog for two weeks, that could allow them to have the heating on. If someone’s car’s broken on the way to work, we can step in,” Ms Arthur said.

“Lots of these people would rather feed their pets than feed themselves.”

Ms Colledge believes in giving people the support they need to keep pets at home with their owners.

She has also seen homeless people turn down accommodation so they can stay with their pets.

“Some people love their pets so much they’ll hand them into a rescue if they can’t afford food, so [our work] also supports the rescues,” she said.

“We do have people that are having to choose whether they feed themselves or their pets.”