One In Four Dogs Bought During Lockdown Could Be From Puppy Farms

One in four puppies bought during coronavirus lockdown could be from puppy farms, new research from The Kennel Club has shown.

The nonprofit organisation, which is the UK's largest dedicated to the welfare of dogs, found that there had been a surge of puppy adoptions over lockdown, but many seemed to purchase their pooch without doing prior research or even meeting them in person.

Forty-one per cent of those surveyed who bought a puppy during Covid-19's lockdown did so because they craved companionship, while 38 per cent said they bought one due to the increased time they were spending at home.

But a fifth also confessed they weren't sure whether their dog would suit their lifestyle after lockdown eases - and cited worries about time, cost and behaviour changes.

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Plus a quarter of new owners admitted to having done little research before buying their pup, and one in four admitted they might inadvertently have bought their pet from a puppy farm.

The Kennel Club said that multiple owners missed "red flag warnings" about the origin of their pup.

As many as 27 per cent paid money before actually meeting their puppy, while 42 per cent did not check out the puppy's breeding environment in real life or even via video call.

Tellingly, as many as 83 per cent of new owners were quizzed by their breeder about their backgrounds, or how suitable they were as owners.

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In response to the findings, The Kennel Club has launched a new campaign, advising people to #BePuppyWise, and properly research before buying a dog.

Bill Lambert, head of health and welfare at the Kennel Club, said: "Our dogs are certainly helping us through the pandemic, providing a welcome and happy distraction as Covid-19 causes anxiety, suffering and disruption across the nation.

"However, we do have concerns about those puppies which may have been bought on impulse, without owners doing their homework on how or where to get a dog responsibly, or fully realising a puppy is a new family member for life, not a short-term commodity."

Topics: Dog, Life News, Coronavirus

Joanna Freedman

Joanna is a journalist at Tyla with a particular interest in highlighting women's issues and telling inspiring first person stories. She's also their resident foodie, and loves covering exciting new beauty launches, too. Contact her at [email protected].

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