Dogs Trust has reported a significant rise in the number of people thinking about giving up their dogs since lockdown restrictions have been lifted.
The UK’s largest canine welfare charity says it has recently received 35 per cent more calls and 55 per cent more emails from owners considering handing over their pets for adoption,
while traffic to its website’s ‘giving up your dog’ pages jumped by 182 per cent, compared to pre-pandemic levels. Dogs Trust’s chief executive Owen Sharp said: “Following the boom in pet ownership during the pandemic, which saw millions of us delighting in the companionship of a dog, [these] figures have sadly come as no surprise to us.
“As owners’ circumstances change and the country unlocks, puppies have grown into boisterous teenagers and many owners are being forced to reconsider their pets’ places in their lives.”
● To obtain a clearer insight into how our canine companions have been coping since the pandemic started, the charity has launched its National Dog Survey — a census for owners. Log on to www.nationaldogsurvey.org.uk and take 10 minutes to add your voice.