John Lewis ‘Busters’ will be dumped, charity warns
WITH its star turn by Buster the bouncing boxer dog, this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert has left more than one viewer moist around the eyes.
But the Kennel Club is warning that the emotional advert – in which Buster bounds on to a trampoline on Christmas morning in front of the little girl for whom it is intended – could lead to a spike in numbers of abandoned dogs.
The charity fears an increase in the number of puppies and dogs dumped after Christmas by people who cannot cope or grow fed up with them.
There has already been a sharp increase in the number of people inquiring about buying the breed.
The day after the advert was first broadcast, searches for boxer puppies on the Kennel Club’s Find A Puppy website rose by 160 per cent.
The interest continued in the following days, with searches up a total of 169 per cent in the five days after the advert’s release and by 151 per cent on the same period last year.
The Kennel Club, Britain’s largest dog welfare organisation, fears a disastrous fallout once Christmas is over.
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “When there is a sudden and enormous spike in people searching for puppies within a breed that is in the media spotlight, we all too often see the same breed overflowing from rescue centres a few months later.
“The boxer breed could be in real trouble if people let impulsivity take over and rush out to buy one without knowing much about the breed.”
Betty Hoad, of the Southern Boxer Rescue Service, is bracing herself for an influx in the new year.
She said: “We fear being inundated next year. Boxers drool, they are messy eaters, and while they are fun and playful, it means that they also need a lot of exercise and stimulation.”
The Kennel Club has launched a website page showing the reality of living with the breed.