江苏 仲其方

Australian animal shelters are crowd⁃ed,and the wait for returning animals can be as long as eight months as pet owners re⁃turn to work and face rising costs.

“In all the 20 years that I've been in rescue,I have never seen it like this.A number of animals in the shelters are just trying to get out.Calls,emails and texts that we get here from people wanting to give up their animals are just never⁃ending.It's heartbreaking.Caring for a pet is getting harder and more expensive,”said Monika Biernacki,founder of Monika's Doggie Res⁃cue from the shelter in Sydney's northern suburbs (郊 区),who started her no⁃kill shelter in 2001.

The price of pet⁃related products rose 12 percent in the first half of the year,twice the pace of human food.A shortage of rental homes also makes it harder to find pet⁃friendly housing.High school teacher Holly Medcalf bought her dog Opi during the pandemic and has spent almost US$2,700.60 on vet visits.“You have all these really nice ideas and then in reality,it's hard work,”she said.

“Many people who bought pets as lockdown companions(陪伴者)are now re⁃alizing the responsibilities,”said Stephen Albin,chief executive of the New South Wales Animal Welfare Society.“There was a really difficult time during COVID⁃19,especially in Australia,where we had lengthy lockdowns.I think quite a few people just wanted companionship,so they went and got a pet.They got a companion,but they didn't quite understand what it takes to keep a pet,”he said.

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