Demand for dogs during the UK lockdown hit new heights.Prices for mongrels soared, and some working pups have sold for more than £2,000 each.
Facebook users have been fuming at the extortionate prices, some claiming breeders are selling Dachshunds for £6,000.
Meanwhile, lockdown has not stopped dog thefts. These two male cocker spaniels were lifted from a kennel in Woodbridge in Suffolk. The owner says she has located the black cocker but the liver cocker is still missing. Her contact details are in the description below.For the website: Seen that liver cocker? Contact Suffolk police constabulary, call 07464968723 or email address Abby.123@live.co.uk
According to Action Fraud, dog thefts are increasing and fraudsters are also using the buying frenzy to line their pockets. People wanting to buy pets have been scammed out of more than £280,000 over the past two months. The group warns criminals are posting fake online adverts for kittens and puppies then asking victims to put down a deposit for the pet for an animal which doesn’t exist.On 1 June, Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner warned of the rise in pet crime, saying six dogs are stolen a day in England and Wales. The number of cocker spaniels stolen has doubled, lurchers trebled and Yorkshire terriers quadrupled. The alliance also re-issued advice to prevent dog theft.
Bonner said pandemic was having “unpredictable effects and one of them is a surge in demand for puppies” and could lead to a rise in unlicensed puppy farming.
The Alliance also expressed concern about the rash of impulse purchases could also lead to mass dumping of pets when the lockdown ends and reality returns.”A dog is for life, not just for lockdown,” Bonner said.
