Veterinary sector groups have backed calls for greater emphasis on responsible dog ownership after new research highlighted the challenges faced by the “pandemic puppy” generation.

A senior academic has urged prospective owners to take months, or even years, to consider if they can meet a dog’s needs pre-acquisition after weaker relationships were linked to COVID-19-related purchases.

Defra officials insisted they were “working at pace” to address the issue for all breeds.

But nearly five years on from the start of the crisis, BSAVA president Julian Hoad warned the specific circumstances of the pandemic had created a canine cohort “at increased risk of poor outcomes”.

Welfare needs

He said: “The BSAVA strongly supports the concept of responsible pet ownership and recommends, before taking on the responsibility, anyone considering acquiring a pet should ensure that they can provide for its welfare needs.”

The findings, published in the Plos One journal, are based on a survey involving hundreds of owners who acquired their dogs during the main phase of the pandemic in 2020.

Despite fears about potentially high levels of relinquishment, the study found nearly 98 per cent of around 1,000 respondents still owned their dog at the age of 21 months, with just 13 being rehomed or sold. Nine others had been euthanised or died in other circumstances.

Risk factors

But while it acknowledged that many of the risk factors were not confined solely to that cohort, the RVC-led paper also found owners who acquired puppies because of the pandemic considered them a greater burden than those who had planned for an acquisition prior to the arrival of the virus in the UK in early 2020.

The findings raise renewed questions about measures that may be needed to more effectively promote responsible ownership – particularly as recommendations from a working group set up by the previous Conservative government remain unpublished.

While no firm timescale was given for their release, a Defra spokesperson told Vet Times: “We are working at pace to explore measures to promote responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog.”

‘Effective strategies’

But the paper argued that the risk of both less fulfilling owner-dog relationships and potential relinquishment could be reduced by identifying “effective strategies” to help owners determine if their circumstances were suitable for a dog prior to acquisition.

Dan O’Neill, a co-author of the study and associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the RVC, said this offered “the keys” to ensuring that the excitement of acquiring a new dog is maintained through the years that follow.

He added: “Spend months or years planning how and where to get your new and well-socialised dog, and follow this with patient and positive training; it may not be rocket science but it is very good dog welfare science.”

Praise for study

The message was echoed by BVA president Elizabeth Mullineaux, who praised the study for its efforts to “broaden our understanding of the bond between dogs and owners”.

She said: “Pet ownership is a long-term commitment, and this study underlines the importance of prospective owners doing their research and seeking pre-purchase advice from their local vet before getting a puppy.”