Pandemic Puppy Phenomenon - a pending crisis in the UK

Dogs Trust reported a 50% rise of pet owners calling to hand over their dogs in 2021

Photo credit - Tanya Lynch

When I was doing some research about the increase of dog ownership since Covid 19 Pandemic entered our world, I was surprised at the how many dogs were now in the UK. I wasn’t sure what the the number was going to be. I never imagined it to be 13 million dogs and I had two of them. I didn’t just buy one Rhodesian Ridgeback but I decided to buy a second - a male named Obi born in August 2020 and a female named Nya born in May 2021. My reasons for buying a puppy wasn’t down to being in lockdown. I had always had a dog in my life and was ready to have another, but because I lived in rented accommodation in 2019 it wasn’t feasible to have dogs. My circumstances changed soon after the lockdown and within a few months I had made the decision to become a new dog owner.

If I could turn back time, would I still consider buying a dog. The honest answer is a big fat NO. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my dogs, but owning this particular breed with relentless medical issues…