DOGS Trust, Ireland’s largest dog welfare charity revealed today that they have received 515 requests in the last three months from people seeking to surrender their dog. This is a 212% increase on the 165 requests for same period in 2020.
With an alarming 240 of the requests in the month of June alone, the charity is extremely concerned by this surge as life starts to return to normal in Ireland. By comparison, they received just 50 requests in June 2020.
In response to the worrying trend, Dogs Trust has launched their ‘Life After Lockdown – Bark to Basics’ campaign which offers practical, fun and simple techniques for dog owners to help their pets cope with their increased absence from the home.
Becky Bristow Executive Director, Dogs Trust Ireland said: “While there are genuine cases of people needing to rehome their dog, we are very worried by the huge increase in people contacting us to surrender their dog as restrictions ease.
“We would encourage all dog owners to sign up for our free interactive pack and start acclimatising their dog to spending more time on their own. Our aim for this campaign is to help keep as many dogs happy in their existing homes as possible.
“We are appealing to owners to be patient with their dogs and remember, dogs don’t chew your belongings out of spite, it’s usually caused by stress or boredom at suddenly finding themselves alone, with nothing to do.”
Ciara Byrne, Head of Communications, Dogs Trust Ireland, continued: “Lots of us are making plans to invite friends over, indulge in some outdoor dining or maybe returning to work outside the home and this may come as a big shock to our fur-covered friends who have grown very accustomed to having us all to themselves.
“Even dogs who were used to not having their family at home in previous years have joyously embraced their humans being present more throughout the various lockdowns, so it’s not just puppies who arrived in homes during the pandemic that will be affected.”
For more information and to sign up for a FREE Bark to Basics pack, please visit DogsTrust.ie/BarkToBasics
