IMPULSIVE POOCH PURCHASING
Experts say that buying on a whim can cause lonely, overweight, and badly-behaved dogs
NEARLY a quarter of all petowners do no research at all before buying their pet, new figures have revealed.
The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals have released their annual Animal Wellbeing report, showing that around 5.2 million owners (24%) admitted to purchasing a pet on a whim.
The charity said that not doing research before getting a pet will have an impact on their future wellbeing, as owners may be unaware of how to provide for their chosen pet's needs.
In fact, nearly one in every six dogs isn't walked once a day, and nearly a quarter of all pooches (24%) are left alone for five or more hours on a typical weekday.
It means that 2.1 million dogs are being left without adequate companionship.
This could be a trigger for some of the undesirable behaviors that dogs display, with many showing signs of distress when left alone including howling for more than five minutes, and scratching at the walls.
The report also found that almost of half of all dogs seen by vets each week (47%) are overweight or obese. Perhaps more alarming, though, is that 55% of owners lack a recognition that their pet is overweight or obese. Meanwhile, some 12% of dog owners admit they haven't trained their dog in any way - accounting for around 1.1 million dogs.
PDSA vet Olivia Anderson-Nathan said: “The results of our PAW Report reveal problems with lonely, overweight and stressed pets across the UK. “Unfortunately, it seems that some owners are also taking on pets off the back of trends; maybe they've seen a certain type of pet in a film or on social media.
“Whilst this is done with all good intentions, it's worrying if it's done without any research or consideration of an animal's health and happiness.
“A prime example of this is the recent trend for flatfaced dogs such as pugs or French bulldogs – tragically many take them on not realising the serious health conditions that they can suffer from due to the shape of their faces. “Most of us wouldn't dream of buying a new car or booking a holiday without researching all of the options and the costs involved, but too often, little thought is going into the time, commitment and money involved in raising a happy and healthy pet throughout their lifetime.”