A SIGNIFICANT number of people are realising they have made a mistake in getting a pet during the pandemic.

When the UK was plunged into a national lockdown back in March 2020, the country ‘went wild’ for puppies due to the ‘perfect opportunity’.

Pet Insurance company PetPlan surveyed over 2,000 pet owners in the UK and found that a quarter of them have regrets or concerns about taking ownership of a pet during lockdown.

Over the course of the pandemic, a quarter of pet owners welcomed a new pet into their home, most commonly a dog (17%) and cat (12%). Of those who took ownership, almost 47% did so for the first time.

Of this, 26% said they have regrets and concerns about their decision of taking getting a lockdown pet.

One in seven pet owners are worried that the easing of lockdown would increase pet theft, with 11 per cent being worried returning to work will result in separation anxiety.

36% of all pet owners surveyed said that the pandemic was somewhat a factor for taking ownership of a pet

Karen Boyce, of Beastly Thoughts Professional Dog Services in Llangollen, said her own puppy classes had its ‘best year to date’ which was ‘just the tip of the ice-burg’.

She said: “It seemed like every single household in the UK had decided they needed a new dog, and preferably a puppy. And a large percentage of these were first time dog owners.

“And also, it didn’t seem to matter at what cost. Pups became like gold dust, and within weeks the price of the most popular breeds of puppy were going through the roof.”

The Dog’s Trust reports they had a 62% year on year increase and the RSPCA recorded that between March and October in 2020, 30 million unique views on their website’s Find A Pet service; compared to 18 million for the same period the previous year.

Karen added: “The number of rescue puppies brought in from abroad also jumped dramatically, with a 94% increase in the legal importing of puppies – let’s not talk about how many found their way in illegally.”

So, what is the story now?

One year on, and it does appear that a small but significant number of people are realising that they made a mistake, said Karen.

She said: “Some of these owners have tried to recoup their money by advertising their now older puppies on popular pet “For Sale” websites. But unfortunately, a puppy is a bit like a new car and its monetary value dips significantly once it leaves the breeders’ home.

“These young dogs, along with many others, are now being offered to local and national dog rescue organisations. The Dog’s Trust itself had 114 calls alone on the two days after the Christmas Bank Holiday from people wanting to give their dogs up, and nearly 20% of these were under nine months of age.

“It isn’t surprising that puppies have found themselves in dire straits, when a third of owners are first time dog owners but also as, according to a recent Kennel Club Survey, one in five owners say that they had not considered the long-term responsibilities of dog ownership.”

In June alone, over 90,000 pets were advertised on Pets4Home website, double the figure for the same time last year.

Currently, within 10-miles of the Mold area, over 300 pets are up for sale on the website.

The Leader previously reported that it was a 'ruff time' for animal lovers as scale of pandemic pet fraud was unleashed by Action Fraud.

Data from the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime reveals that £2,638,323 was lost by prospective pet owners in the 2020/21 financial year, after they put down deposits for pets they saw advertised online – an increase of over 20 per cent compared to the previous financial year.

Capitalising on the rise in people getting pets due to the national lockdowns caused by coronavirus, criminals have been posting fake adverts on social media, online marketplaces and specific pet-selling platforms.

There is a whole list of things that of course owners have fallen foul of, apart from being novice dog owners.

These include:

• The shock of having a puppy and children home full-time

• Finding that working from home doesn’t always mean you have lots of free time for a new puppy

• Having to home school children and watch over a puppy

• Going from furloughed to redundant, or having a business fail, and being unable to afford the puppy

• The strain on relationships during a pandemic; resulting in an increase in failed relationships and puppies becoming a burden

• The scenario of going back to work and a huge number of puppies, having never been left alone, then become stressed and destructive

So, what is the answer?

Karen went on to say: “Well, a lot can be done to help the owner and their puppy return to a more harmonious relationship.

“The first thing I would do is seek some professional help. It’s quite possible that owners and puppy have painted themselves into a bit of a corner and simply need an expert in to guide them back into the light.

“Only this week I had an owner with a new pup having problems, which included the puppy showing “aggression” towards the eight year old in the household. It turned out it had all got rather negative with lots of “no” and “stop that”.

“So, after a chat, this week the owner is so much cheerier. She explained that she had now recognised how much negativity was being directed at the pup. But now with management, lots of distraction and just simply helping the puppy there had been no more episodes. Everyone, human and canine, were much happier.

“Raising puppies, as they turn into teenagers, can often be a trying time. But there is no reason why, given some guidance and help, that the majority of owners can’t make it out the other side and create an obedient and happy adult dog.”