The district has been placed second on the list for Yorkshire and seventh in the UK, as owners struggle to cover costs amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Data commissioned by PuppyHero revealed that as of August 25 there were 234 dogs up for adoption in the district.

Topping the list for Yorkshire was Doncaster where 1358 dogs were up for adoption.

Aberdeenshire tops the list for the UK where 2215 dogs were available.

In Ryedale, the Labrador Retriever was the most common breed with 91 available.

The breed occupies 50 per cent of the top 10 UK local authorities, and also the UK in general.

There are 2,409 able to be rescued UK wide.

Amy Ockleford, a spokesperson for RSPCA, provided insight into the state of dog rehoming and what can be done to help.

She said: "RSPCA rescues and rehomes thousands of dogs across England and Wales every year.

 "Sadly, we're seeing lots of animals coming into our care at the moment due to the rising cost of living, with owners having to make heart-breaking decisions to part with their pets as they struggle to pay household bills and feed their families.

"We're also seeing a lot of dogs come to us who have behavioural challenges due to being reared during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, which has left many with severe separation anxiety and lacking vital socialisation skills.

 "We'd urge anyone who thinks they can commit to a dog - both time-wise and financially - to please consider taking on a rescue dog."

Help for finding the right breed can be found here: https://puppyhero.com/how-to-choose-the-right-dog-breed

For information on how to rehome a pet vist: https://www.rspca.org.uk/findapet

Details on the RSPCA's 'Cancel Out Cruelty' campaign can be found here: https://www.rspca.org.uk/canceloutcruelty