Source Pets Responsibly
“Lockdown saw a huge rise in demand for dogs for companionship,” says Dr Samantha Gaines, dog welfare exper t at the RSPCA. “Dog breeders and rescue centres repor ted unprecedented interest. Between March and December there was a 68% increase on searches for puppies on our website vs 2019, while views to our dog rehoming pages surged by 87%.
“We fear an increase in dogs being abandoned or taken to rescue centres as lockdown puppies grow up and also when people return to work after lockdown. We have seen a few examples of this already. Other rescue organisations are repor ting increased phone calls from people wanting to give their dogs up and lockdown puppies are also being sold on pet sales sites.
“It seems that a ‘per fect storm’ is being created. The increase in demand for puppies has also fuelled impor ts from abroad. Towards the end of 2020, the commercial impor t licences for bringing puppies into the countr y increased by 87%. Worr yingly, nearly one third of respondents to an RSPCA sur vey said they didn’t know how to avoid sources that were illegal or irresponsible and 38% said that they would buy a puppy that had been smuggled into the countr y.
“We have multiple concerns about puppies being impor ted into the UK. Through our #forpupssake campaign we are hoping to reduce the demand by
www.rspca.org.uk.
www.puppycontract.org.uk getyourpetsafely. campaign.gov.uk calling on the government to increase the age of puppy impor ts from 15 to 24 weeks, when they are less appealing.
“There have always been issues with illicit and illegal activity around the puppy trade, but now more than ever, people are willing to take advantage of the demand. New owners must ensure they deal with responsible people who place the health and welfare of puppies first, as opposed to commercial profit.”