Could "Rescue" Become Sussex's Favourite Breed Of Dog?

The RSPCA said today (October 5) it fears 'lockdown puppies' could add to an animal welfare crisis in Sussex as it revealed 1,058 incidents about dogs were reported so far this year in Sussex.

It also said searches for young dogs increased sixfold during lockdown.

The charity is running a campaign for this month, re-naming it "Adoptober", as it promotes adoption of rescue dogs.

The RSPCA said it fears that the coming recession and the impact of 'lockdown puppies' will hit already-struggling rescue centres hard in coming months as the charity reveals 434 incidents this year about dogs in West Sussex alone.

The charity reveals 189,800 reports related to dogs were made to its emergency hotline in 2019 and 45,181 dog incidents have been dealt with this year (up to 29 September), with officers in Sussex  as a whole dealing with 1,058 dog incidents.

The RSPCA added that it fears next year could be worse as it linked the rise in searches for puppies with what it called a "worrying trend" in breeding and importing young dogs, a potentially exploitative and damaging trade which can cause suffering to the animals.

This raises concerns among RSPCA experts 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.

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.

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

RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood said:

"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.

"We have lots of dogs waiting for their forever homes so please do consider getting a rescue dog.

"Although it is really tempting to buy a puppy, those from abroad may have been bred in poor conditions, leaving them with potentially serious medical and behavioural problems whereas adopting from somewhere like the RSPCA where staff have really got to know the dog, means you get the advice and support you need.

"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."

The RSPCA's national centres and branches rehomed 7,480 dogs last year (2019); 417 dogs were rehomed in Sussex as a whole.

The charity's rehoming website is https://www.rspca.org.uk/findapet