Or are they?
At the beginning of lockdown we certainly saw an increase in scams related to the purchase of pups and rescue dogs (particularly those from other countries).
Good reputable breeders were hard to come by because a lot of them, responsibly, simply paused their breeding programmes.
Suddenly cross breed pups were being sold for in excess of £3000 (for the record I have never paid more than £400 for a cross breed pup!). As a business we have had to deal with some broken hearted owners and some fairly awful breeding resulting in sickness, under development and behavioral issues.
Also scam rescues seem to have popped up. Seeing an increase of imported dogs through improper channels etc.
Is this all slowing down? I am not sure I cant see any evidence currently but am unsure and at the moment anyone approaching me looking for a new dog/pup receives the same advice.
Just be patient, wait for this to all ease – and it will. If you are serious about wanting a new dog then another 3 or 4 months wait would be prudent. If you don’t want to wait then please do your homework – I mean properly.
Speak to trainers in your areas, speak to behaviorists, speak to those that pay to educate themselves on all things canine.
Friends are not always a good source of professional information and neither are the breeders themselves (no offence meant to any of those reputable breeders many of whom are our friends) and would give you excellent advice – but not all new dog owners would know where to turn.
Please be responsible. Rescue Centers are seeing a massive increase of dogs going in and some of these will be young dogs. Please be patient.
With regards to the dog thefts I see reported on social media.
Certainly I don’t want to downplay the amount of social media posts that I have seen recently regarding stolen dogs, and it does appear that some of these incidents have been incredibly invasive and horrendous for those walkers concerned.
My heart goes out to them and this is a really scary time.
Like any crime try and keep anxiety levels grounded. I am working with several clients at the moment who are high level anxiety sufferers.
Social media posts don’t help them. Neither does scare mongering. Equipping them with the tools they need to calm their anxieties helps them. Giving them and their dog the proper tools to stay in control helps them.
If you want to use a personal alarm use a personal alarm – but make sure your dog is desensitized to the noise (even attach it to a recall command) – any sudden noise or panic could send your dog bolting. Alternate walk routes and times (this is good for your dog anyway!), keep to “well used” routes and keep yourself in the usual manner, pair up if you feel the need and generally do all those things you would normally do to keep yourself safe.
Train your dog. If your dog has not got solid recall it should not be off lead – legally. If your dog runs up to everyone to “say hello” it should not be off lead – these dogs can be deemed out of control in the eyes of the law – you could end up with a criminal record and your dog could end up with a destruction order – this is real. Solid recall and good manners from your dog are essential skills in our modern world.
I have not been able to find any proper proof that dog theft is on the “increase” (that’s not to say it isn’t) – if there is anyone from law enforcement reading this I would love to talk to you.
In the meantime please keep yourselves safe, calm and rational and give your dog the life skills needed to keep them safe.
Also before sharing any social medias posts – please ensure you can validate the information you are sharing – sharing media that isn’t true or is mis-guided can cause other people a considerable amount of anxiety.
Lets hope we will all soon be out of this storm – stay safe
Always putting our furry friends first
Emma Jane
Head Trainer and Owner
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