This handsome little Labrador is Otto.
Like many other dogs in Australia, Otto was a pandemic puppy, purchased in May 2020, just a few months after Melbourne was put into its first lockdown.
After spending years wanting to get a dog, his owner, Tamara Abraham, finally decided to take the plunge and began her search in early March, “I always wanted to get a rescue dog, but when I decided it was time, I basically thought, well, it’s now or never”.
And this was the thought process for many people during the pandemic, as people all over the world were forced to face isolation and loneliness in their own homes. Between April and May 2020, searches for dog and cat adoption increased by 250% compared to the same period in 2019.
Tamara and Otto, from Fitzroy North, were fortunate enough to lived in an area with dog parks, allowing Otto to learn to socialise from a young age and put in the work to make sure he was trained, “given the fact that I knew I was gonna be home a lot more I thought well, that’s a good opportunity to be able to do more training. Which I did”.
People had more time than ever to put into looking after their new pets and getting them acclimatised to their new homes, but as life has gone back to normal over the last few months, new issues are arising.
With people returning to the office and being able to leave the house more to meet people, those who had previously had a lot of time for their pandemic pooch, are finding that they no longer fit into their lifestyle.
Dogs who had previously only been left alone for short periods of time, have now developed separation anxiety, as their owners now must be out of the house more often. Not only that but some dogs who didn’t get adequate time outside the house, are now exhibiting severe behavioural issues due to lack of socialisation with other dogs and people.
Someone who is now working with a lot of owners experiencing these issues is Melanie Scott, a dog trainer in Melbourne. Since the beginning of the pandemic, she has seen a surge in the need of her services. Ms Scott said she predicted the increase before it even happened and explained when she first started noticing the issue, “when the first lockdown lifted and we were able to go and see some clients, that’s when I noticed things weren’t right. And after each lockdown the behaviours started to get worse and worse. To the point where I was seeing some of the worst anxious dogs that I’ve ever seen.”
The RSPCA statistics have shown a decrease in the number of dogs being surrendered in the last 5 years, but this now looks to be changing. Dog shelters are reporting an unprecedented increase in surrendered pets since Christmas 2021 as Covid restrictions were being eased.
While the official figures for the last year have not yet been released, this news is incredibly worrying, as the same statistics from the RSPCA show that the number one reason for dog euthanasia within shelters is due to behavioural issues. The pandemics acceleration in these issues, and the overwhelming numbers of dogs surrendered could mean we may be about to see the first increase in dog euthanasia in years.
Trainers like Melanie are trying their hardest to help owners and their dogs to battle these problems before making the tough decision to surrender their canine, but with the increase in demand they are not able to see everyone. We have put together a list of things for future puppy (and dog) parents to think about before they dive into ownership and make sure they can be prepared for their new best friend.
Courtney on Instagram: “Since the beginning of the pandemic there has been a surge of puppy and dog adoptions. However now we are coming out of restrictions, dog shelters are seeing unprecedented numbers of dogs being surrendered to shelters. Melanie Scott from K9 training gave us a list of things to think about before taking the leap into dog ownership to make sure you’re fully prepared for you new pal.”
Courtney shared a post on Instagram: “Since the beginning of the pandemic there has been a surge of puppy and dog adoptions. However now we are coming out of restrictions, dog shelters are seeing unprecedented numbers of dogs being surrendered to shelters.
This article was originally posted on Shorthand. Click here to see the original.
