The Dogs Trust charity received 114 calls on 27 and 28 December from people wanting to offload their puppies. No, these weren’t unwanted Christmas gifts, but dogs they’d bought during the first lockdown.
According to the RSPCA, demand for dogs soared last year, with breeders and rescue centres reporting unprecedented levels of interest. But some new owners have already become disillusioned. In the past three months, the Dogs Trust has received 1,800 calls from people begging them to rehome their puppies.
She darts around with lightning speed hoovering up any stray morsels like a turbo-charged rat
On some days, I’m tempted to contact the charity myself. The Young family’s new pet isn’t strictly speaking a lockdown dog. We got her in February, just before prices started to skyrocket. Mali is a cavapoochon, a cross between a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, a toy poodle and a bichon frise. Caroline assured me she’d be very low maintenance on account of her diminutive size, quite unlike our previous dog, a Hungarian vizsla.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in