News from the Natural World: Ill-prepared lockdown dog owners are offering a terrifying Catch-22 to traumatised Rescue Dogs.
Humans in the UK have been locked inside their houses for nearly a year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Those humans have turned to ‘mans best friend’ to survive the monotonous doldrums of the living room. They are adopting dogs like never before. The statistics alone make for terrifying reading;
- Over one third (35%) of young human adults (age 24-35) have already embarked on lives as new pet owners – or are planning to add a pet to their families
- 2.1m (19%) collected a new pet in lockdown
- 1.8m (16%) are planning to add a pet to their household
- Londoners are the most likely to have added a pet to their family with almost one in five (18%) having picked up a pet and 13% planning to make the change.
Dogs have risen in popularity so much that many breeds are fetching extortionate prices on the black market. One litter of CockaPugaDoodles sold for £10,000 a pooch. In addition, one rare SpringaDorMation sold for £13,000. Furthermore, the much-adored West Highland Left Footed Poodle sold for £19,324. These prices have driven many humans to seek out Rescue Dogs. Rescue Dogs are dogs that have been abused and abandoned by humans. Research has estimated that 130,000 dogs come into UK rehoming charities each year. Many of these dogs are put down because they are simply too traumatised to go on. But humans have turned to these Rescue Dogs to answer their insatiable quest to find meaning in their pathetic lives.
Ill-prepared Lockdown Dog Owners Offer Catch-22
One human had this to say – “Although I’m only 23, I’ve always wanted a pet. During the pandemic, I was furloughed and realised that I’d have more time and would love a new companion. I did loads of research and found Quincy, a cockapoo, who is hypo-allergenic and was suitable for my hay-fever. Also, I obviously had time to help settle Quincy into life at home, but the responsibility was testing! I didn’t quite realise how much time puppies do take up, with feeding them and toilet training, teething etc, to be honest, she is making a pretty awful companion. She never uses her i-pad and hasn’t once suggested a series to watch on Netflix…she’s a bit of a bore really, I’ll probably try and trade her in for the new model.”
We managed to secure an interview with the humans master Quincy who stated “To be honest I was stuck between a gang of cats and a concrete bone. I’d had a seriously tough time of it with my first human slaves. They were right horrors, not like the manual said. They’d tell me off for no reason, made me sleep outside in the freezing cold and would hit me something rotten. I was terrified day and night. They chucked me out on the street. So it was the Rescue Dog life for me. I spent my days in the centre begging to be adopted, but some of the two timers told me to be careful what I wished for.”