The idiots now getting rid of their “lockdown” puppies are utterly abhorrent

[Crossfitwidow]

I’m absolutely disgusted by the number of adverts for puppies 4-6 months old that have popped up in the last few days because people have remembered they work full time.

“No fault of their own, just work commitments”

It’s blowing my mind how people can be so fucking selfish to take an 8 week old puppy, raise it for a few months to keep them entertained through lockdown and throw it aside because it’s served it’s purpose.

I knew this would happen but to actually see it is heartbreaking.

What can we do if we see them being advertised locally but can't offer them a home?

@amijustparanoidorjuststoned *
I know a few people that have decided to buy puppies in lockdown, even though they know full well they'll be returning to full time work in a matter of months. "Oh but it'll be alright when they're trained...." angry

Luckily one of the couple I know who have done this are lucky enough to afford a dog walker/doggy day care if needed. But it's so irresponsible.*

Eh? So only the unemployed can have dogs??? What ok earth is wrong with getting a dog, training said dog and spending its first months to settle it then making sure dog is cared for by a dog walker or day care while the owners work? Sounds the opposite of irresponsible to me....

I’m not convinced that people knew lockdown was coming for long enough to buy a puppy just for lockdown.

I think it’s more likely that a. many people are suddenly without income and a new pet is the first thing to go and b. couples are splitting up so they have to rehome c. people spent lockdown looking after the puppy 24/7 in a small property and decided they couldn’t cope.

I’d like to get a dog but not quite sure how it will pan out work wise, and Dd is not quite old enough to be responsible for it after school. Also I’m not a morning person so probably won’t!

Your not allowed to sell pets in Facebook anymore?

I haven’t seen any on out local gumtree/free adds or pets for homes, I have a look occasionally when I get broody for a dog.

I've seen people that have had a 'change of circumstances' with a 9/10 week old puppy. Seriously!

Often this is a front for a puppy farm. It explains away why the pup is being sold with no visible parent present.

@ihatecoronavirus I thought that too. If all these dogs are microchipped then surely when the shelters come to register the dog to them there should be a big fat X come up saying "do not give this person a dog" was that law just pointless?

The real people at fault here are those dog owners who were campaigning for people with dogs to be permitted to walk their dogs even if it got to the point where other exercise was banned, and for much of the media making it appear that this was a realistic prospect. This made many feel that getting a dog would be the only way they could leave the house and therefore did so fully in the knowledge that they couldn't look after them long term.

I’ll have one
I’ve been told I’m a home worker permanently now
Do worry about being judged if I start looking now and people will think I’m part of the problem

The real people at fault here are those dog owners who were campaigning for people with dogs to be permitted to walk their dogs even if it got to the point where other exercise was banned, and for much of the media making it appear that this was a realistic prospect. This made many feel that getting a dog would be the only way they could leave the house and therefore did so fully in the knowledge that they couldn't look after them long term.

Nonsense.

Everybody knows you can't just get a puppy and go out walking, it needs to have its vaccinations. How long do you think people expected lockdown to last? No one really expected it to last years.

Also, no one was campaigning to be allowed to walk their dogs in lockdown, that's just common sense and was permitted from the start. There was no need to campaign. You can't blame dog owners for wanting to take care of their pets.

What is happening now is sheer madness. It's lack of long term thinking and stupidity and greed.

Those poor dogs.

There is a park very close to my house and I have to say I have never before seen so many people with puppies! It looks like every second person has a designer puppy. It’s definitely a worrying trend.

I went to my usual dog park yesterday... I’ve never seen anything like it! About twenty puppies (day from four to six months).

I assumed (naively) that it’s the time of year - but you’ve made me really think.

@Notcontent am wondering if you are in the same area as me - SE London? I’ve literally never seen so many puppies in one place!

When all the current more important things to worry about stuff has calmed down, I want to campaign for a dog licence. Not a licence for the dog, but a licence for the owner/keeper. Very like a motor vehicle driving licence. We're not allowed to hurtle around at seventy miles an hour in half a ton of metal until we've taken a test about responsibly managing it and gained a licence. So why should anyone be allowed to be responsible for a dog without knowing anything more about it than how much it cost on GumTree last night?

StatisticalSense I doubt anyone bought a dog thinking it would be the only way of getting exercise during lockdown and the campaign for people walking their dogs was never really taken seriously.

I think a lot of people underestimate how much work a dog is. It's taken nearly 2 years to train mine to the standard I'm happy with and I don't think people appreciate that this is how long it can take.

Sorry as much as..I hate unscrupulous breeders and thoughtless dog getters, a four month old.puppy would have been conceived in Decemberish time the rise in puppies has fuck all to do with Lockdown. However the rise of idiots taking in dogs with little thought has sadly happened.

People aren’t selling them because they’ve changed their minds. They’re selling them to make a profit, they probably bought them cheaper at the beginning of lockdown and realise they could make a few grand.

To me rehoming my dogs was never an option.
I understand in some circumstances but people just give up so easily.

MoaningMinnee - I would agree with you but having a dog is like being a parent. It's long term commitment, not what you might do in a test on any given day and it takes time to get good with a dog, particularly for someone that doesn't have experience of owning dogs - but this doesn't mean they'll be crap. What would be more beneficial would be a re-homing register. If you re-home a dog more than once you can't own another dog.

My mum has a friend who has re-homed 2 dogs and is now on her third. The reason is because she can't be bothered to adapt her lifestyle. AFAIC she shouldn't be allowed to do this.

No, I am in North London !!

@notcontent - oh that’s quite depressing then - thought maybe it was just a weird anomaly

One of DSs friends parents have bought a pug I think part terrier. But when asked what she would do with it when they go back to work she said she would just put it in a crate for the day. I’ve never owned a dog, but would love to; but is that normal?

No, it’s not normal. It’s cruel.

Unbelievable prices for puppies even four year old dogs £1500 a puppy £2,500. Mine cost £350 five years ago, now £2.5k. Where do people find that kind of money.

@Yester

Sorry as much as..I hate unscrupulous breeders and thoughtless dog getters, a four month old.puppy would have been conceived in Decemberish time the rise in puppies has fuck all to do with Lockdown. However the rise of idiots taking in dogs with little thought has sadly happened.

I’m not for a minute suggesting people have suddenly started breeding their dogs to make money during lockdown. I’m suggesting the people buying the puppies are buying them for the wrong reasons.

In “normal circumstances” those puppies would have gone to people who had thought long and hard about whether they had the time and money to take on a dog.

Instead those puppies have gone to people who knew they’d be off work for a couple of months and needed something to focus on. They didn’t really think longterm about how they would juggle a young dog, family life and working full time.

I’m certainly not knocking people who work full time with dogs either, I’ve done it myself in the past but I knew what I was letting myself in for and I made a commitment to it.

This is what seems to be lacking.