The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Saturday For life, not just For lockdown
When the time comes to pick the winners of 2020, my dogs are definitely going to be in with a shout.
Like four-legged friends ever ywhere, they have embraced the switch to remote working with gusto.
Aside from their newfound Zoom meeting VIP status, it’s brought ear scratches and gravy bones on tap and an end to hauling their hairy carcases out of bed on rainy mornings because it’s their last chance for a pee break until my dog-walker dad comes to release them from their home-alone hell.
In fact, my biggest concern about returning to the office is not so much the expense of commuting or the fear of catching a killer virus, but what my colleagues will say when I show up for my shif t wearing a jackahuahua in a papoose.
It’s been a revelation for animal-lovers too, as people who thought their lifestyles couldn’t accommodate a dog suddenly realise it’s within their grasp after all.
TikTok is awash with videos of users surprising children and partners with puppies. Friends have taken the plunge. There’s been a flurry of new furry faces here in the village.
Our local shelter had no dogs looking for homes the last time I checked its website. I’ve never seen that before and can only suppose that even the last snaggle-toothed, carchasing, problem barker in the corner has finally met its match.
Good on them, I say. I’ve had dogs all my life. I can’t imagine not having one now, and could bore on for hours about the physical and mental health benefits.
But life is not a Lassie movie and we were reminded of the darker side of all this fervour on Monday, when we learned the Scottish SPCA had raided a property in Perthshire and seized more than 60 animals.
Inspectors removed pregnant bitches and several litters of puppies. Some of the dogs were in outdoor kennels with no lighting or flooring, others were completely exposed to the elements and soaked and frozen when the charity got there.
There’s not much more the Scottish SPCA can say now an investigation is under w a y, but a spokesperson did reveal it had opened 78 inquiries into suspected puppy farms in the last month alone, and warned the traditional pre- Christmas demand is only going to raise the stakes for unscrupulous breeders.
Another probe has been launched in Fife after a number of buyers complained when their pandemic pup purchases came with a host of serious – and in some cases fatal – extras. One woman told us how her £2,500 cockapoo had to be put to sleep at only nine weeks old after she had spent £3,000 on vet bills to try to save it from parvovirus.
No, I haven’t added any extra zeroes to those numbers; this is one industry that’s done very well out of the coronavirus.
Last time I looked on Gumtree, the going rate for puppies seemed to be in the low to mid-hundreds. A search of ads within a 30mile radius of here suggests £2,000 is more like it now – £ 2,500 if you fanc y pushing the boat out on a high-fashion Fr e n c h bulldog. There are a handful of perfectly ordinary looking mutts on sale for £3,500.
You’d think people would at least think long and hard about what they are taking on before shelling out that kind of cash. But keep scrolling and you’ ll find plenty of dogs back on the market aged a year or two, or even a few months, because of a “change in circumstances”. A nation of dog lovers we may be. Planners? Not so much.
Some people have criticised the authorities in the Perthshire case. A number have said they
shared concerns about the premises with the Scottish SPCA and Perth and Kinross Council, and don’t understand how it took so long for them to act.
I have some sympathies with the investigators. The penalties for animal crimes are often on the paltry side at the best of times. Better they gather all the evidence they can to give them the strongest possible chance of making court action worth their while.
The Animals and Wildlife Bill gave enforcement agencies greater powers when it was passed by the Scottish Parliament this s u m m e r, as well as increasing potential jail time and fines for those convicted of offences.
Perhaps it will serve as the deterrent that leads to long-term change. Until then, the fate of the trade still hinges on market forces. Either the crooks price themselves out of existence or people heed the long-standing advice and buy from reputable breeders instead.
And if that £ 2,000 is burning a hole in their pocket, they could do worse than make a donation and put their name on the list at their local shelter, for when the novelty buys start filtering through the system.
My senior partner was picked up as a stray by the warden on Christmas Eve 2007 and went unclaimed until our eyes met across a crowded kennel.
He looks like he was stitched together on a Friday afternoon from the scraps on the dog factory floor, but when people ask me where he came from and what on Earth he’s supposed to be I’m proud to declare: “Actually he’s a rescue”. Smug I know, but the peace of mind is priceless.