TV show pet charity to cut staff numbers

An animal rescue charity that features on a long-running TV show has announced plans to reduce its staff numbers as part of a restructure to tackle "unprecedented pressure due to rising costs".

Woodgreen Pets, based in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, confirmed "a number of roles amounting to 20 full-time equivalents will be at risk of redundancy".

In a statement, the charity, which hosts Channel 4's The Dog House, said it was shifting focus to help more pets in people's homes, rather than at the rescue centre.

It added: "We remain here to rehabilitate and rehome pets in crisis, as we have always done."

The charity began helping animals in 1924 when it was based in Wood Green, north London, and in 1987 it relocated to Cambridgeshire.

It is well known as the base for The Dog House, a TV fixture since 2019, in which animals are matched with potential owners.

Last year it said it had seen an 18% rise in demand for its services.

In a statement, Woodgreen Pets said its proposed restructure followed "a comprehensive review of our operations to ensure the long-term efficiency and sustainability of the charity.

"Through the proposal, our aim is to increase the number of pets we help in homes and prevent them from coming into rescue – which should always be a last resort – and still be able to take in and rehome more dogs, cats and small animals at our centre in Cambridgeshire."

This restructure would involve job cuts to its teams responsible for pets services.

"We understand that this is a challenging time for our staff, and we are doing what we can to support them through this important consultation period," the statement continued.

A member of the pet team, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC many long-term staff were "concerned" about the proposed changes to their contracts and for the animals.

They had also been informed some animals, such as chinchillas, chickens and ferrets would no longer be accepted.

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