Puppies being brought into Surrey and Hampshire from abroad to meet high demand during pandemic

The RSPCA has expressed concern about large numbers of puppies being brought into Surrey and Hampshire from abroad to meet a high demand during the pandemic.

The charity says this is "fuelling a worrying trend in breeding and importing of puppies, a potentially exploitative and damaging trade which can cause suffering to dogs."

It also says that an "impending dog welfare crisis could be on the horizon in 2021 as families return to normal life and may no longer be able to take care of the puppy they bought during lockdown."

The warnings have been issued as the charity reveals it has been called out to more than 1,000 incidents involving dogs in Hampshire county this year. In Surrey that figure stands at over 631.

It says that during lockdown, Google searches for 'Puppies near me' increased sixfold (650%) with 15,000 searches compared to 2,000 in January 2020.

And Government figures show the numbers of licences issued for the commercial import of dogs more than doubled from 5,964 (June - August 2019) to 12,733 for the same three month period this year.

Coupled with a fear that the end of furlough and the deepening recession will hit families hard and some may no longer be able to afford their pets, this could put pressure on the already-stretched resources of rescue centres.

The charity is urging families to do lots of research and ensure they can commit long-term to a dog before bringing one home.

This Adoptober, it is also championing the benefits of rescuing instead of buying a puppy.

RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood said:

"We have seen a rise in people searching for dogs to adopt during lockdown, which is fantastic, but at the same time, there appears to be a rise in people looking to buy puppies.

"We know that there are not enough puppies bred in the UK to meet the demands of those who want to buy them and, worryingly, there appears to be a surge in puppies coming in from outside the UK.

"The problem with this is that, although breeders from countries like Romania are licensed, we have no way of checking the conditions those animals are being kept in and we fear that sales like these could be fuelling cruel puppy farms as well as exposing puppies to long and stressful journeys.

"If families would still prefer to buy a dog, we're encouraging them to use The Puppy Contract. This is a free online tool that will help find responsible breeders and a happy, healthy dog."

'How to adopt a dog'

Throughout the month of October, the RSPCA is shining a light on animals in its care which need a new home and promoting the benefits of adopting a rescue animal through its Adoptober campaign.

The RSPCA is the UK's biggest rehomer, finding 39,178 homes for pets last year - that's 107 a day, or four an hour.

The RSPCA's national centres and branches rehomed 7,480 dogs last year (2019); 64 dogs were rehomed in Dorset. But, this year, staff fear an impending dog welfare crisis as families suffering in the recession abandon their pets and others returning to work hand their pets over to rescue centres who are already struggling due to the financial impact of the pandemic.

One dog looking for a home is:

Name: Bella

Age: 1

Breed: Beagle cross Lurcher

Where: RSPCA Millbrook Animal Centre

Why is she so special: Bella had already been in four homes by the time she was 7 months old and that has left her with some emotional scars.

A bit about her: Bella is very much a dog that can be on a real high and enjoy life and be cheeky but her character can soon change once something or someone scares her and she turns into a dog that struggles to cope. She enjoys being with people she knows and trusts but at this moment finds it difficult to settle for any length of time. When Bella came to the rescue centre, she was very scared and very under socialised with dogs, people and the environment. Also being a typical young dog who has had little or no suitable training her attention and recall with people was limited. Bella is looking for a very experienced adult only home with someone who has trained and had young complex dogs before, she is ideally looking for a home that has experience with scent/sight hounds.

Bella is looking for a rural detached home as she would not do well in a built up area as noises and unfamiliar people worry her. Bella will need a large well-enclosed secure garden to run around in as in public she will need to stay on lead, as she is a typical hound and into following smells.

More information: To find out more about how to adopt Bella visit her page on the RSPCA website on Find A Pet.