A LEADING animal charity has released a heartbreaking video highlighting the rise in people giving up their pets.

The Dogs Trust made the video featuring real phone call recordings where owners are making the decision to hand their dogs over to the charity, as part of their Change the Tale campaign.

It comes after a 41 per cent increase in web traffic to the Dogs Trust’s ‘giving up your dog’ page.

The advert has been released to show some of the reasons why people are needing to give their dogs up and to highlight the situations more owners could face in the coming months as the effect of the pandemic on the economy takes its toll. They are also urging those owners who feel they may need to give up their dog, to contact the charity for help.

There has already been a happy ending for some of the dogs that have been taken into the care of Dogs Trust during the period of the rise in visits to the ‘giving up your dog’ page.

One is Staffordshire Bull Terrier Dottie. The seven-year-old was taken into the care of Dogs Trust Bridgend in January after her owner - who she had been with since she was 10 weeks old - died. She has now gone to a new home.

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Huntaway cross Toggle was also handed over to Dogs Trust Bridgend in January. The four-month-old was given to the charity after his owner could no longer care for him and made the decision to give him up.

He has now been renamed Hunta and has been adopted and lives in Barry Island with new owners Kenni Mullet, wife Clare and step-children Ysobelle and Sam Williams.

He also has new four-legged friends in Alaskan Malamute Mickey, Chow Chow-Husky cross Sheba and rescue Chow Chow puppy Rufus.

Mr Mullet said: “We had been thinking about getting a new puppy for some time but were in no real rush. But as soon as Clare saw Hunta on the Dogs Trust Instagram feed, we knew he was the one for us – he was so similar to her previous dog, so it was definitely meant to be!

“Hunta settled right into family life with us and the other dogs and we can’t imagine life without him now! He has had quite a lot of change in his short life already, but luckily, we get post-adoption support for life through Dogs Trust so it’s been great knowing they’re only a phone call away and have been fantastic in helping us with some training advice we needed.

“We all love having Hunta as part of the family, but he has particularly helped by step-daughter Ysobelle by giving her a focus as she has struggled with anxiety during the pandemic – they have a lovely bond and it’s wonderful to see.”

Dogs Trust Bridgend manager Angela Wetherall said: “It is so wonderful to know that Dottie and Hunta have found their forever homes, along with many other dogs that we have been able to change the tale for during the pandemic.

“We know that the pandemic and its economic repercussions will have devastating effects on some people’s lives and their ability to care for their pets. When people take on the responsibilities of dog ownership, they do so with the best intentions to care for them long-term. But as the calls to Dogs Trust show, in these extraordinary times circumstances can change in a heartbeat, leaving owners with incredibly tough decisions to make.

“It is heart-breaking to hear someone having to choose between a roof over their head, or their dog and we’d like to thank the people who made these calls for allowing us to share their story and for coming to us in their time of need. Unfortunately, we believe the worst is yet to come and we expect many more calls like this as the pandemic fallout continues - and we will do all we can to help those in need of our support.”