When the pandemic began in 2020, the UK saw a rise in the number of pet sales, especially puppies. Suddenly they were in very high demand as people were spending more time at home with nothing to do, so felt that buying a puppy would give them a chance to get out more and give people the companionship they crave during a time when socialisation was limited. 

 

Dog sales increased dramatically during the last two years, with many people visiting rescue sites like dogs trust and the RSPCA, and others searching out puppies through sites like The Kennel Club and GumTree. Although with this increase in demand comes an increase in scammers and unethical practises, and leads to a surge in puppy farming, which is where dogs are continually bred in poor conditions so that a lot of money can be made. Many buyers missed red flags and did not do their research properly because of how highly puppies were sought after, which led to a high proportion of pandemic puppies being bought from puppy farms. This upbringing can cause behavioural problems in puppies that are hard to fix, and could lead to aggression, but arguably the biggest danger is their health. Puppies who have come from puppy farms tend to suffer from health issues and conditions that may affect them their whole life due to poor conditions and ‘quick’ breeding from the same mother dog over and over. 

 

Not only did this lockdown trend cause a surge in puppy farming but some canine researchers argue that it has led to a generation of unsocialised dogs, meaning that when it comes to meeting other dogs or people that are not part of the household, the dog may act aggressively or be very scared. This can lead to issues with taking them out on walks or introducing them to new members of the family, which can have a negative impact on both the dog and the owners. As the dog grows older it is harder and harder to train them to be friendly around other dogs and other people, which is why socialising your puppy early is key. Many believed that lockdown was the perfect time to get a new pet because of all the time that people had on their hands, but many did not consider how difficult socialising your puppy is when there are restrictions surrounding social interaction and how far you can travel. Spending all day every day with your dog has its downsides too, as they can develop separation anxiety and therefore become very distressed when you leave the house, or even just the room. This causes problems for those who started going to work and school again once the lockdown was lifted and was just another thing that many didn’t consider when they sent over their application to get a dog. Although social anxiety can affect all dogs, it is especially common in puppies or adopted dogs who have had a difficult upbringing.

 

In the coming months, or years, it is expected that due to this short-term surge in demand for puppies, shelters may see an increase in the number of dogs being given away, which could lead to a record amount of dogs in shelters. Already there is evidence that lockdown puppies are already being given away or resold because owners have realised that it is too much work raising a dog, or have realised that it is simply not practical now that they have gone back to work. Many animal charities stressed that owners must think about life for their dog after lockdown, with Dogs Trust stressing ‘a dog is for life, not just for lockdown’, which is a spin on their slogan ‘a dog is for life, not just for Christmas. It is believed many owners did not fully consider what would happen once lockdown was lifted and life went back to normal. With adults returning back to work and students to school, no one was left to look after these lockdown puppies, leading to them needing to be given away to shelters, amongst countless other lockdown pups.

 

Although the trend is dying out now that England has not been in lockdown for quite some time, the impact of the pandemic puppy trend will not go away anytime soon.