The lockdowns during the Covid pandemic were difficult times. Probably most difficult of all was the feeling of forced estrangement from family and friends. We were not allowed to do what we as a species do naturally – be social. It is, in fact the absolute essence of us to engage and converse with other people.
On the flip side we were forced to engage and converse with the same people every day, after day, after day. Our immediate family and friends (if we lived with them) became our backdrop. So, we felt caught between a rock and a hard place. The ‘rock’ signified forced estrangement and the ‘hard place’ signified forced intensity.
Getting a dog seemed like the ideal solution to this dilemma. Not only did it fulfil the need to be social, it also allowed for a place to escape the intensity of the same people in the same place, every day. Suddenly everyone had the time/space/need for a dog in their home. It was spotted early on – Coronavirus: Animal charities issue warning…. In this article Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Dogs Trust and the RSPCA detailed an escalation in enquiries to re-home or foster one of their dogs. A good thing in principle but the charities spotted how this could be a reaction to the pandemic and subsequently ill-thought.
“Dog ownership is a wonderful thing but it is a lifelong commitment which must be carefully considered” Dogs Trust advised
“As our saying goes ‘a dog is for life’ and in this case not just for self-isolation”
Consideration of what might happen to the dog when the pandemic was over and normalcy was re-established was lacking. It seemed that people had forgotten why they didn’t have a dog pre-pandemic. To be fair, people (and I include myself in this narrative) behaved a little more erratically than they usually would. This was in some part to do with the fear the pandemic engendered and in other ways due to the sudden change in routine. People panicked and this was evidenced by the empty shelves in supermarkets across the developed world.
In their article on the subject the BBC describe the response to the pandemic Coronavirus: The psychology of panic buying. Stockpiling everything from petrol to toilet paper became the norm and served to feed a panic culture. This type of behaviour in a crisis is a typical response to fear. We want to protect ourselves in the event of a global calamity. However, paradoxically this causes more harm than good. Prices soar as do stress levels. People become anxious about whether they have enough resources or they become corrupt and sell to the highest bidder. Neither strategy is useful in the long term.
Prices began to rocket. Essential items such as face masks and hand sanitiser not only went up in price but also became difficult to access for the essential services that needed them most. Coupled with this uncertainty about whether there would be enough for everyone, was the forced closure of business for most of the population. Many people were sitting at home, with money to spend, with limited opportunities to spend it and with anxiety about isolation and scarcity.
Inevitably, puppy prices also rocketed with both scrupulous and unscrupulous breeders jumping on the bandwagon. In an article Puppy prices soar in Covid 19 lockdown by Georgina Mills published in the Veterinary Record (July 2020), it is detailed how kennel club searches for puppies rose by over 150% during the lockdown period with a 237% rise recorded in May 2020. With nothing else to spend their money on, many people spent it on a dog. Not only did the interest in obtaining a dog go up, so too did the cost and some breeds (such as the French Bulldog) were quadruple in price. This created a ‘Buy in haste’ (at extortionate prices) ‘Repent at leisure’ scenario.
There were other less obvious consequences evident within welfare circles. What happens when the owner goes back to work? As well as this, the result of shady breeding will produce dogs that are at a high risk for hereditary problems, may have had poor nutrition and/or could have learned substandard manners. What happens when problems linked to these issues (e.g. vet fees, behaviour problems) manifest? Essentially, what happens when this inadequately-socialised, under-exercised, isolated puppy with little or no training goes out into the re-opened world? The end of the final lock-down saw a return to work, a lift of restrictions and in many households an out-of-control adolescent dog. Cue the next step.
‘Repent at leisure’ became ‘re-home’. The wonderful, fun, playful fur ball became adolescent. Worse still, it became an inadequately-socialised, under-exercised, unruly, adolescent with little or no training.
I believe that most of the people who got a dog in haste over lock-down did so with the best of intentions. I believe that the majority of them will have done their homework and committed to being new dog owners. I believe these people still have their dog. I also believe that the remainder (probably a small but significant number) are bothering rescue and re-homing centres. As evidenced here: Rescue me: why Britain’s beautiful lockdown pets are being abandoned
So the next step means the dog is given up for adoption, the problem (and by now the dog is both a problem and has problems) becomes someone else’s issue – see an overview here: Covid: Dog behaviour problems linked to lock-downs The unfortunate dog is popped into rescue/re-homing (because that’s the right thing to do – isn’t it?) and everyone can get on with post lock-down life (minus the inconvenience that was the dog).
Job done. Or is it? Certainly not for the dog. We are looking at an animal that has had inconsistent experiences in the family home. We are looking at an animal, a dog, a highly social canine, an animal that bonds easily and quickly when young, uprooted from its security, thrown into a kennel with unfamiliar people and dogs, sights and smells and importantly, left without its family. This no longer looks like the right thing to do. In fact, this now looks like a cop out.
Today things have changed. Rescue and re-homing centres are still doing the job they have always done, but there has been a move to do it differently. As a direct response to the Coronavirus pandemic, these organisations now organise appointments for the public that want to re-home a dog. Pre-pandemic, centres had set opening hours when the public could come and view dogs. This has changed.
Now rehoming centres, in a bid to make sure forever homes stick, take on the matching dog to family responsibility. As well as receiving a home visit to check suitability, potential new homes fill in an application form and are interviewed by staff. This helps them to determine whether one of the dogs in their care is a match for the family. Then and only then are the family and dog introduced.
Woodgreen for example, features dogs on their website and are forthright with information about the dog’s needs, the type of family they would suit and the level of support required going forward. They make it very clear that their dogs are unlikely to be like previous dogs the family have been used to having and they encourage reading their article and watching their video before taking the application further.
Similarly, DogsTrust asks you to create an account, fill out an application form that stays live for 3 months, and they will find you a match. Once found you are invited into your closest rehoming Centre to meet the dog. Breed preferences etc are certainly considered and DogsTrust will endeavour to find a dog that suits your lifestyle and family.
Equally Battersea’s approach is to register as a potential home for their dogs, have a conversation about your lifestyle and preferred new companion and leave them to find the match. Once done, you are invited in to meet the dog at the Centre and the process of taking your new dog home begins.
All these rehoming facilities offer aftercare and give as much detailed advice as possible on what to expect in the beginning. Mostly it works. A mix of dedicated new owners and eager dogs can overcome many issues and homes do end up with a valued four legged addition. Even though there are still struggles post-pandemic (see here for more information), overall, the step to focus on the dog rather than the family may have been a good one for all.
