How are people who got puppies during the pandemic doing?

By Stephen Beech

Puppy owners who bought their pets during lockdown have found dog ownership harder work than expected, according to a new study.

Researchers found that dog owners who purchased a puppy during the 2020 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic experienced a "greater burden" of ownership - but the vast majority chose to keep their new pet.

Study lead author Dr. Bree Merritt. of The Royal Veterinary College (RVC), London, said: "In the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, as people in the UK were confined to their homes, demand for puppies increased.

"This led to concerns for the welfare of these ‘pandemic puppies’ which may have been bought impulsively and brought into homes that would be unsuitable in the long term.

"Animal welfare advocates feared that this would lead to problem behaviors, weak relationships between dogs and their owners, and ultimately, many pandemic puppies being rehomed."

To investigate, Dr. Merritt and her colleagues surveyed nearly 800 UK dog owners who bought a puppy between March and December 2020.

The participants were asked about their reasons for buying the dog and their training and care regime.

The research team then conducted a follow-up survey with the owners when their puppy reached 21 months, to assess their emotional relationship with their dog and the downsides of puppy ownership that they experienced.

Despite 40% of the participants saying that their decision to buy a dog was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, 98% still owned their dog at 21 months of age.

However, owners who were motivated to buy a dog by the pandemic tended to report higher costs of dog ownership - such as having to give up activities they enjoy, tidy up their dog’s mess, or spend a lot of money on their dog.

The findings also showed that owners who reported problem behaviors - such as separation anxiety, control problems or aggression - also reported feeling a greater burden of dog ownership.

However, only aggressive behaviors had a negative impact on owners’ emotional closeness to their dogs, according to the study published in the journal PLOS One.

The researchers pointed out that owners who rehomed their dog may have been less likely to take part in the follow-up survey, so the results are likely to represent a "best-case scenario" for the outcomes of pandemic puppy purchases.

They said it’s also possible that some owners relinquished their dogs after the 21-month survey point.

But the research team says that evidence-based solutions to improve problem behaviors may be "particularly beneficial" for people who bought their pet during lockdowns, helping them to reduce the burden of ownership and improve the quality of life for both their dog and themselves.

Dr. Merritt said: “Relationships with our dogs can be immensely rewarding, but it’s not all fun and games.

"Looking after them can be hard work, expensive or even change day-to-day activities.

"Problem behaviors are likely to be a much wider concern beyond just those dogs who were brought home during the pandemic."

She added: "These results show how important it is to find evidence-based help for problem behavior to improve the emotional health of dogs, and their owners and sustain their relationship.”

Study senior author Dr. Rowena Packer, also of the RVC, said: “Impulsive acquisition of dogs based on short-term circumstances is an enduring challenge for the canine welfare sector.

"Here, we demonstrate that puppy purchases that were a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic, such as having increased time for a dog during this atypical period, resulted in owners who felt a greater burden of dog ownership by the time their puppy was a young adult, compared to owners whose purchases were planned based on longer-term circumstances."

She added: "UK campaigns have long encouraged owners to consider their ability to care for a dog for the duration of its lifetime at acquisition.

"However, if the efficacy of these messages remains limited, greater interventions may be needed to emphasize the responsibilities of dog ownership, ideally prior to purchase.”