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Original poster

Are there really lots of lockdown puppies for rehoming?

52 replies

Lycopodium8 · 21/10/2021 16:23

I keep seeing on threads people talking about their local animal shelters bursting at the seems with lockdown puppies. I'm considering a second dog so have been looking on my local Dogs Trust website but there are very few dogs on there and certainly no younger ones. I'm not too fussed about a younger dog personally but it did get me thinking - are shelters really experiencing an influx of lockdown pups or is it just rumour?

OP posts:
Ylvamoon · 21/10/2021 16:29

Wishful thinking that is unique to MN.

You will be told people sell their puppies in order to "get their money back".
Truth is probably somewhere in between, some people will try and sell their lockdown puppies others will rehome with rescues but same as pre covid times most will stay with their families.

Grumpyosaurus · 21/10/2021 16:46

Given that at least one rehoming charity is still bringing in dogs from abroad, I suspect that not all that many additional dogs are being given over to rescues.

minipie · 21/10/2021 16:50

Round here people are shelling out for dog walkers/doggy day care rather than re home.

Pandemo · 21/10/2021 17:09

I always thought it was a bit of a leap to assume that the increase in dog ownership was down to feckless idiots impulse buying a puppy with no thought to the future. Most people aren't that irresponsible. It's more plausible that people who have considered and wished for a dog for a long time suddenly found themselves in the perfect position to devote their time to a puppy, and so everyone who was thinking of getting a dog at some indeterminate stage in the future suddenly bought one all at once. I'm sure there were lots of people were already in the position to care for a settled adult dog, but had not had the time for a puppy in it's most demanding phase.

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 21/10/2021 17:15

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58518892

From the article:

The Dogs Trust said it had witnessed a significant spike in pet owners considering adoption following the announcement that most Covid measures were being lifted in England on 19 July.

It said traffic to the "giving up your dog" pages of their website had increased more than 180% in July compared to pre-pandemic visits in February 2021.

There was also an 100% increase in traffic in July compared to what it had seen six months earlier in February.

And another one from June this year www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-kent-57286672

Postdatedpandemic · 21/10/2021 17:20

Just checked my dog breed on Pets4Homes.
I can get a puppy for £600 - £1,500
or
a one year old for £3,000

The dog market is certainly shifting back towards normality

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 21/10/2021 17:20

Bottom line: in normal times, you have X number of people buying dogs and a proportion of those will be rehomed.

During lockdown, there were 5X number of people buying dogs (I think). It stands to reason that the number of dogs being rehomed will rise as a result of that. I'm not saying that everyone who bought a dog in lockdown will dump it - most probably won't - but logically there will be an increase and this is already being reported.

muddyford · 21/10/2021 17:56

I volunteer for a breed rescue charity. We have absolutely not seen any increase in dogs coming to us for rehoming. In fact it's probably lower than two years ago. And there don't seem to be many adults of this breed being sold on either through various websites.

Goawayangryman · 21/10/2021 18:51

@Pandemo I think you've nailed it. Your account is basically why we were Willing and able to get a dog. It was one of the few upsides of the pandemic for us. I don't intend to go back to the office as much as previously, which has made owning a dog a lot more affordable for me. I doubt many thought ah fuck, it I'll get a puppy now and sod the long term consequences.

Goawayangryman · 21/10/2021 18:55

But I do agree that the market is normalising. Price of (more questionably-bred) pups is coming down. I've seen several dubious litters from my breed 'reduced' and ready to go home, in the last couple of weeks....

Price of well-bred pedigree pups didn't change much during the pandemic.

Wombat49 · 21/10/2021 19:00

It did for the breed I have. Prices tripled. I was very lucky to find a pup just before prices shot up. I'm not currently looking but it does appear more litters are now being advertised tho.

magicstar1 · 21/10/2021 19:03

I’m in Ireland and one of the rescues announced today that they’re full with pandemic pups. They’re taking in 5 per day as surrenders. They even took in a one year old Jack Russell pup that had been brought to the vets to be euthanised.....because he was annoying!

Evenstar · 21/10/2021 19:05

A litter of unchipped Labrador puppies were dumped recently which suggests that demand has gone down, if nothing else www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/19646558.abandoned-labrador-puppies-found-south-downs-way-near-winchester/

Original poster
Lycopodium8 · 21/10/2021 19:05

Seems to be a mixed bag then - maybe it depends on location? If there are lockdown pups needing new homes then I have no idea where they are

OP posts:
ArcherDog · 21/10/2021 19:55

@Spanielsarepainless

I volunteer for a breed rescue charity. We have absolutely not seen any increase in dogs coming to us for rehoming. In fact it's probably lower than two years ago. And there don't seem to be many adults of this breed being sold on either through various websites.
Same but for a general dog rescue. No increase in puppies or adolescent dogs, and normal numbers of hand ins.

Perhaps it’s a bit too soon, people haven’t fully gone back to work yet.

Lifeisaminestrone · 21/10/2021 20:04

I got a lockdown pup.

My lifestyle has changed due to work and it was an opportunity for me to have a puppy - which would have otherwise been in 4 years’ time (now 3) when DH retires.

It’s been the best thing about lockdown (my chap is lying asleep on me now).

I went to a recommended breeder and was fortunate someone on a waiting list pulled out and so arrived much sooner than expected.

There are some responsible new owners and breeders - I had a two hour interview to check on suitability!!!

A lot of people are reselling on the dreaded Pets4Homes Angry and I look and wonder if I should ‘rescue’ and just pay the big price tag but seems wrong somehow. Although I feel really sad thinking about how they must be having a miserable time with owners back at work.

AwkwardPaws27 · 21/10/2021 20:31

@Pandemo

I always thought it was a bit of a leap to assume that the increase in dog ownership was down to feckless idiots impulse buying a puppy with no thought to the future. Most people aren't that irresponsible. It's more plausible that people who have considered and wished for a dog for a long time suddenly found themselves in the perfect position to devote their time to a puppy, and so everyone who was thinking of getting a dog at some indeterminate stage in the future suddenly bought one all at once. I'm sure there were lots of people were already in the position to care for a settled adult dog, but had not had the time for a puppy in it's most demanding phase.
This was us. We have wanted a dog for years but recognised our working hours weren't compatible.

After the first lockdown, DHs company announced permanent homeworking for anyone who wanted to (there's hotdesking in office for anyone who prefers that). I also changed jobs to an organisation which allowed a split of home & office working before the pandemic, so we were confident that one or both of us could be home each day.

People may look at us and think "pandemic puppy" but I waited 31 years for him. He wasn't an impulse buy or something to pass the time.

My only regret in hindsight is contributing to the strain on the veterinary profession.

Are there really lots of lockdown puppies for rehoming?
Are there really lots of lockdown puppies for rehoming?
MrsHerculePoirot · 21/10/2021 20:56

@Pandemo this was us too. We always wanted a dog, but both irked out of home and knew we didn’t have time to devote to a puppy. We knew eventually we’d both work out of house part time but could make our schedules work and it has worked out beautifully!

scochran · 21/10/2021 21:06

I keep an eye on rescues too and see no real change. I know lots of puppies from lockdown, we added to our gang too, all much loved, well looked after family pets
For us it was a perfect time to get the puppy we were already considering and our work arrangements have never gone back to normal. Even if they did our dog is now very well settled and nearly 2. Happy to spend a few hours at home/ go to dog walkers if necessary.

Skade · 22/10/2021 16:11

One of my beloved boys had to be put to sleep in May after he became paralysed and his bladder and bowel were damaged. His brother became very miserable so we started to look for a pup or young rescue in July having always had rescues as well as pedigrees. Not one rescue would rehome to us as we already had dogs in the house. We looked at foreign rescues, but decided we couldn't take the risk of an unknown dog coming into the house sight unseen and being able to gel with the other two. We looked at puppies for sale, they were all about £3,000 - double what I'd paid 3 years previously. In the end, the breeder of our boy who died offered a puppy to me at a massively discounted price and I went with that, but I would have loved a rescue. I had mistakenly assumed that the rescues were overflowing with lockdown dogs but that didn't seem to be the case.

BiteyShark · 22/10/2021 20:38

All the people I know who got puppies in lockdown are still working full time at home.

By the time they might need to go back to the office their dogs will be mature and only need a dog walker once a day or not at all depending on how they juggle working hours.

Dochas121 · 22/10/2021 21:11

Same @Lycopodium8 I think the lockdown puppies being surrendered is a myth. We got a lockdown puppy and the news of them all being surrendered really upset me so I went into our dogs trust (for all of Ireland) website. 72 dogs looking for homes. I filtered by

Dochas121 · 22/10/2021 21:14

@magicstar1

I’m in Ireland and one of the rescues announced today that they’re full with pandemic pups. They’re taking in 5 per day as surrenders. They even took in a one year old Jack Russell pup that had been brought to the vets to be euthanised.....because he was annoying!
I see you’re in Ireland too! What website was this? I looked on dogs trust and the vast majority of dogs are more than 2 years old (63 of the 83 wanting homes).
Dochas121 · 22/10/2021 21:20

@magicstar1 I found the article there on that shelter in cork. On their website they have 0 dogs

Maxstrong · 22/10/2021 23:53

It's probably pent up demand. A small proportion of the dog owners at any one time do rehome their dogs. People who would have rehomed their dogs over the lockdowns and restricted periods couldn't so they are all doing it now. None of the shelters near us were open to take in surrendered dogs. There could have been a queue by the time they reopened.
The shelters near us are still empty so that hasn't even happened here but could explain the older dogs in other shelters.