Doggy daycare demand soars
Return to the off ice causes a headache for the thousands of owners of ‘pandemic pups’
DOGGY daycare centres are reporting huge demand as pet owners head back to the office after two years of working from home, the Irish Mail on Sunday has learned.
The return to the office is proving to be a problem for dog lovers and even more so for their pets, many of whom were born during the pandemic and have never spent time on their own.
Over the past two years – as reported extensively by the MoS – there was a huge increase in the number of people buying designer dogs as lockdown companions.
But with many companies now insisting on staff returning to the office, the ‘pandemic pups’ face being left home alone.
The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told the MoS that it has been bombarded with enquiries from desperate dog owners looking for a spot in its boarding kennels.
‘At the moment, we are not accepting any new dogs for the simple fact that we can fill out daycare three times
‘I’m paying neighbours’ kids to feed and walk him’
over,’ said boarding centre manager Chrissy Mahon.
‘We have never seen such an influx of puppies. We also offer a dog training service and we have never done as many classes as we have in the past few months or so.’
The DSPCA has a purpose-built boarding kennels at its rescue centre in Rathfarnham. It offers both daycare and long-term boarding for dogs and cats.
‘We have 50 individual kennels for daycare and we also have 52 individual suites in the doggy hotel,’ explained Ms Mahon.
But despite having so many spaces, she said demand has far outstripped supply.
‘What I noticed was happening, especially in the early stages of this year, was our regular clients weren’t getting their dates because we were getting such an influx of new dogs. So I had to make the decision that our regulars, who rely on our services, get first preference,’ she said.
Ruth Flood from Fairview in Dublin is one owner struggling to get daycare for her five-year-old dog, Rua.
‘I’ve had him since he was a pup so I’m not a new owner but I live alone and travel around the country, so on days when I’m going around the country, I used to leave him in one of the doggy daycares near the M50. Now they are all full all the time. I’ve only got him in once in the last few months.
‘I’m paying neighbours’ kids to come in after school and feed and walk him but that’s not ideal. It’s not fair on him. I’m seriously thinking that I’ll need to give him to a family member back in Cork who can mind him better. That would break my heart,’ she said.
The DSPCA has also warned about people cashing in on the demand for pet daycare as there is no regulation of the booming pet-minding industry.
‘It’s a profit game for some people,’ said Ms Mahon. ‘I don’t think people understand that the services aren’t regulated. Anyone can open a doggy daycare or a grooming facility with no regulations whatsoever. Your qualifications could be that you did an online course and that’s it. So my message would be, if you do find yourself in a predicament, always
try and get a recommendation.’
The pandemic was a boom time for puppy farmers. The MoS has previously reported how breeders around the country were selling dogs online and hiking up the price of pups by thousands of euro. Unscrupulous breeders began churning out puppies with scant regard for animal welfare.
Last year, Ireland’s largest dog charity, Dogs Trust, announced it had 2,155 requests from people asking it to take in their dogs for rehoming. This was an 82% increase on 2020, when dogs were in huge demand.
‘We are particularly concerned about where dogs are being sourced, with the prevalence of puppy farming in Ireland, particularly since the beginning of the pandemic when the demand for dogs saw prices soar into the thousands for puppies being sold online,’ Dogs Trust said.
niamh.walsh@mailonsunday.ie