Dogs Trust asks potential owners to consider life after lockdown amid a surge in online searches for puppies.
Dog lovers in Cardiff and in the UK have been urged not to make an impulsive decision of keeping a pet during Covid-19 lockdown, as updated figures showed that the online searches about getting a puppy surged by 120%.
The Dogs Trust, one of the UK’s biggest dog welfare organisations, is temporarily switching its famous slogan from, “a dog is for life, not just for Christmas” to “a dog is for life, not just for lockdown”.
This animal welfare charity says, it is concerned that the increasing interest in acquiring a dog may be followed by a rise in people giving up their new pets when some form of normality resumes.
“It was not surprising that more and more people were considering getting a dog when staying at home during this special time”, said staff from the Dogs Trust Cardiff.
“but no one should rush into such a move.”
According to the latest figures, the use of “find the dog” tool rose by 53 percent between February and March, after Boris Johnson announced the lockdown.
Searches between 16 and 23 March were up 37% from the previous week and 84% from a year earlier. The top three popular breeds are Labrador, Cocker spaniel, and Golden retriever.
“The most important thing you should remember is that keeping a pet is a serious commitment. Especially at this time of uncertainty, it’s irresponsible unless you’re really committed to taking care of them for the long term”, says a spokesperson from Cardiff Dogs Home which aims to offer their services about dog adoption.
The RSPCA has also told Newsbeat the government’s social distancing and self-isolation advice “would make it very difficult for someone to adopt or buy a pet at this time”.
According to the pet charity PDSA, it costs between 4,500 pounds to 13,000 pounds to look after a dog over its lifetime, and that’s without the addition of any possible medical problems they might develop.
But for some people, like Anna, 25, they’ve tried very hard to get the pet they’ve always wanted without breaking the lockdown rules.
She actually keeps in touch with her French bull terrier dog.
“Every week I ask the breeder, how’s the dog doing, how’s her training going today?” She said.
“In the beginning, the breeder sent me pictures and breeding certificates of her parents. All this time, she’s been sending me details of the dog’s life. I think it’s allowed me to think rationally about buying a pet.”
Anna has a dream of keeping an obedient and clever dog.
“It is the best time to train a puppy at home now, which means I’ll have a well-trained dog when the lockdown is released!”
