Pet owners are already regretting buying lockdown animals - just as the shelters predicted

As life begins to return after the pandemic lockdown, animal charities talk to Saman Javed about how owners can help their pets make the transition back to ‘normal’ living

11 week old Labrador puppy (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The pandemic created a “perfect storm” of conditions for a boom in pet ownership. Britain is a nation of animal lovers so we didn’t need much encouragement, but a report from the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association found that over three million UK households have acquired a new pet since the start of lockdown.

While being at home 24/7 and not having to commute to an office seemed the opportune moment to get that dog you’d always wanted, animal experts have long predicted that the enthusiasm would wane. Now a new survey of more than 2,000 people has found that one in four new owners has regrets about getting a lockdown pet. While shelters are already seeing an increase in the number of pets being abandoned or given up for adoption.

“Isolating during the lockdown was a difficult period for everyone. The need for companionship, coupled with the need to stay away from work for long periods and reduced access to gyms and team exercising, created a perfect storm,” veterinary surgeon Dr Brian Faulkner says.