An animal shelter in Aberdeen that provides a pet food bank service has been suspended with immediate effect following a ‘serious incident’.
Police are investigating after a ‘disturbance’ at Mrs Murray’s Home for Stray Dogs and Cats, in Seaton, at around 12:20pm on Thursday.
The charity posted on Facebook: “We have sadly had to take the decision to suspend our pet food bank service with immediate effect.
“The safety of our staff is a priority and once measures are in place and we can resume our work in the community safely, we will commence this service, albeit in a different format.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, but please bear with us during this time.”
A spokeswoman for Mrs Murray’s confirmed that the incident is being “dealt with by the police” and that officers had been called to the scene.
Police investigating ‘disturbance’
A Police Scotland spokeswoman added: “At around 12.20pm on Wednesday September 20, we received a report of a disturbance at Brickfield, East Seaton in Aberdeen.
“No-one was hurt. Officers are following a positive line of inquiry.”
Mrs Murray’s Home for Stray Dogs and Cats care for and rehome thousands of animals every year.
The closure of their food bank service will come at a difficult time for some animal owners due to the cost of living, with the SSPCA calling the hardship many face an ‘animal welfare crisis’.
Back in July, the animal welfare charity revealed that the number of people in Aberdeenshire giving up pets had quadrupled in the past year.
Following the announcement by Mrs Murray’s, the SSPCA has urged users to use alternative food banks in the area as a ‘stop gap’ measure.
The charity’s director of innovation and strategic relations, Gilly Mendes Ferreira said: “We’re so saddened to hear about what happened to our friends at Mrs Murray’s. They do great work in the local area and we hope they can get their pet food bank up and running again soon.
“In the meantime, if any service users of Mrs Murray’s pet food bank are struggling we’d be happy to support them through our Pet Aid service in Aberdeenshire.”
The locations are:
- Aberdeen North Foodbank, Bridge of Don
- Cfine Foodbank – Poynernook Road, Aberdeen
- Far and Wide Charity Shop and Foodbank, Stonehaven
- Number One Community Fridge, Banchory
More details can be found online or by calling the SSPCA’s free, confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.