Now we are all spending time more at home, welcoming a new dog into the home seems like a great thing to do during the pandemic.
Between March and the end of December last year, the RSPCA’s Find a Pet section of the website had 39,835,657 views compared to 23,681,542 in the same period the previous year- This is a rise of 68%.
The number of page views on the RSPCA’s ‘rehoming a dog’ section surged 87 per cent from 540,524 to 1,013,795 over the same period.
However, animal welfare experts are concerned about these high figures, worried that it will lead to a surge in abandoned dogs once life returns to normality.
RSPCA dog welfare expert Dr Samantha Gaines said: “There was a huge surge in demand for dogs during lockdown as families made the most of spending more time at home. What concerns us is what’s happening to these ‘lockdown puppies’ now and what will happen to them over the coming months.
“We expect that we’ll see a major dog welfare crisis this year as huge numbers of dogs are relinquished to rescue centres, sold on online or even abandoned; with struggling charities forced to pick up the pieces.”
The Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, based in Edenfield, is also concerned about the influx of ‘lockdown puppies’ after the pandemic.
(Photo: Geograph/Alexander P Kapp)
Towards the end of the first lockdown, the number of adoption applications at the sanctuary increased by 300%- a potentially concerning figure if the owners haven’t truly considered the consequences of owning a dog.
The charity is worried that some families have not thought about how they will care for their pet when they return to work.
A spokesperson said: “We are very concerned about the high number of young dogs purchased during the first lockdown.
“The concern is should people go back to work or be in a financial position where they can no longer keep the dog we will see an influx of juvenile dogs that have not been properly socialised.”
The charity also expressed concerns about seeing an influx of juvenile dogs that are not used to being left alone and develop separation issues.
They added: “In addition should be normal percentage of dogs recently acquired need our help then this will likely be more than we are able to respond to.”
If you have been thinking about getting a dog during lockdown, the animal sanctuary implore you to think about the long term.
They added: “Look at what your circumstances will be when lockdown comes to an end and evaluate if you can provide the time, care and cost of dog ownership before considering getting a dog.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bleakholt are currently closed and unable to rehome dogs.
If you want to help out at the sanctuary, they are currently accepting job applications for a full time animal care assistant.
Alternatively, you can help out the sanctuary by donating anything you can to help out with any medical and animal care costs.
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