There has been increase in abandoned dogs over the years following each festive season. Raneem Dayoub, student journalist, reveals the figures and explores why this is happening, from insta-famous pooches to breeder-run puppy farms.
Lucy Richards' five-month-old blue staffy puppy, Bonnie, enjoys daily trips to the park in which she can roll around in every mud patch in sight. Tail waggling, tongue hanging from her mouth, Bonnie adores being petted by her many admirers, who often stop Lucy in the street to praise the pup’s cuteness.
Yet just less than five months ago, Lucy was faced with the challenging decision as to whether she should keep little Bonnie or take her to a pet shelter.
Lucy and Bonnie's story:
"My (now ex-) boyfriend and I were planning to move in together after Christmas. We'd been together for nearly three years now, and he’d recently graduated from university. He knew I had a love for puppies; we were always tagging each other in silly online dog-related memes.
When it came to November last year, he became very secretive and kept teasing me about my "big surprise present". Being in a long-distance relationship, we hardly got to see each other, so he planned to come to Birmingham in December with this “surprise".
Things changed when we rarely talked anymore and when we did, he was very off with me. He came to see me in December regardless, little did I know at the time, it was to break up with me and leave me with little Bonnie.
It’s not every day you receive a puppy as a break-up gift, as if to soften the blow. I still don’t understand why he gave her to me, but he left me with an on-the-spot decision as to whether I wanted her or not. Despite being completely heartbroken and overwhelmed, I couldn’t resist her.
In the days after that, I was still debating whether I’d made the right choice. My dad offered to take Bonnie to a pet shelter and I considered this, as I was so upset. Of course, now, I’m so glad I didn’t because Bonnie really is my little best friend.”
Social media: The "Surprise, here's a puppy!" trend
Lucy says:
"I'm pretty sure my ex-boyfriend got the idea to surprise me with Bonnie from Facebook. He’d planned it for a while, of course, but I remember him pointing these 'relationship goals’ videos out to me in the run-up to Christmas. I didn’t think for one second that he was actually planning to go through with the same thing!"
It is no secret that numerous videos and images have circulated the internet over recent years, particularly around Christmas time, that showcase loved ones’ reactions to receiving a furry canine gift. Just like this one:
However, numerous ethical questions have been raised by animal welfare groups, who believe this glamourisation of pets as gifts is leading to a higher number of abandoned puppies, because people are rushing into the trend without thinking about whether or not their loved one can look after a pet.
Insta-famous pups: Ana and Flicka
The Mirror reported that: "A rise in celebrities and social media influencers showcasing tiny designer dogs and puppies combined with the growing online on-demand trade in puppies, is believed to have contributed to the figures [in abandoned puppies]."
I spoke to Ana Savuica, the owner of Flicka the staffy puppy who is a free spirit (yes, Ana named her after the wild horse in that country movie), and avid shoe eater. Ana set up an Instagram account for her little friend, which she says has “certainly gained more followers than I do in such a short period of time”.
@FlickaNibbles
Despite reports from The Mirror and speculation from animal welfare groups, Ana believes social media “isn't a definitive factor but might plant some seeds”. She says: “My decision to buy a dog was quite impulsive so you never know what could trigger someone else.”
Yet, Ana tells me just how important it is to think through the decision to buy a pet as a gift:
“I think that people should definitely be considerate of buying puppies or animals for friends, because it’s more than just a gift. It’s a lifestyle investment that they have to make from that point forward.”
So, what are the facts?
The RSPCA class abandonment and neglect as an act of animal cruelty. They recently released their figures for 2016, that showed:
· Since the Animal Welfare Act came into force in 2007, the RSPCA have secured convictions for breaches of the legislation relation to more than 25,000 animals, including 15,787 dogs
· 127 dogs were dropped at Dogs Trust shelters around the country in the two weeks around Christmas – a 54% increase on last year.
Campaigns
There is a significant lack of campaigns in the media today that address this ever-growing issue. However, The Dogs Trust has been saying "a dog is for life, not just for Christmas" for 35 years, so in 2013 they started a new campaign, presspaws.org.uk , to try to make people think before they buy one.
3 tips on how to know if you should buy/adopt a dog
However, Denise Boardman from Dog Watch UK, believes this is not enough and has put together some guidelines when it comes to thinking about adopting/buying puppies:
1. Don't surprise people. They may hint they want a dog because it’s cute, buy they may not have thought of the responsibility that comes with a pet.
2. Can you accommodate a dog? Think about it first - it’s not as easy as it may seem!
3. Adopt, don’t buy. Rehoming dogs is so rewarding.
