Pandemic Puppies: Characterising Motivations and Behaviours of UK Owners Who Purchased Puppies during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Widespread media reports suggest that unusually high numbers of the public purchased, or sought to purchase, puppies following the first ‘lockdown’ phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, dubbed “Pandemic Puppies”. This study aimed to explore this phenomenon by comparing pre-purchase motivations and behaviours, and purchase behaviours of UK owners purchasing puppies aged < 16 weeks from 23 March 2020–31 December 2020 with those of owners who purchased puppies during the same date-period in 2019. An online survey was conducted during November-December 2020, from which 5517 valid responses were analysed (2019 puppies: n = 1148; 2020 ‘Pandemic Puppies’: n = 4369). Over 1 in 10 Pandemic Puppy owners had not considered purchasing a puppy before the pandemic, and 2 in 5 felt their decision to purchase a puppy had been influenced by the pandemic, most commonly by having more time to care for a dog (86.7%). Multivariable logistic regression models revealed that Pandemic Puppy owners were more likely to be first-time dog owners and have children in their household, were less likely to seek out a breeder that performed health testing on their breeding dog(s) or view their puppy in-person, and were more likely to pay a deposit without seeing their puppy. At purchase, Pandemic Puppies were more likely to be younger, delivered or collected from outside their breeders’ property, seen without their littermates, and cost > £2000 compared with 2019 puppies. Changes in puppy purchasing during the pandemic raise welfare concerns for this unique population, including relinquishment, behavioural problems and poor health.

Pandemic Puppies: Demographic Characteristics, Health and Early Life Experiences of Puppies Acquired during the 2020 Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK

“…An online questionnaire including four broad sections was designed iteratively amongst the authors, piloted on a small number of respondents and hosted using the SurveyMonkey platform, as described previously [ 1 ]. Briefly, the survey explored (i) puppy demographics, including age at purchase, breed/crossbreed, sex and neuter status; (ii) health, including preventative healthcare provisions such as vaccination and insurance as well as ill-health soon after being brought home; (iii) behaviour both at the time of being brought home and at the point of the survey; and (iv) puppy socialisation experiences from acquisition up to 16 weeks of age.…”

“…The pre-purchase motivations, behaviours and purchase behaviours of all owners, as well as the influence of the pandemic on purchasing decisions of Pandemic Puppy owners were also examined and have been reported previously [ 1 ].…”

“…The UK recorded sharply rising levels of puppy purchasing during the 2020 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ], with many people deciding to purchase a puppy for the first time with a view to improving their own and their family’s mental health during this challenging period [ 1 ]. Government restrictions to movement during the pandemic (known as “lockdowns”) may have unintentionally promoted sub-optimal puppy purchasing behaviour from UK owners by prohibiting or limiting social contact, and thus thwarting several critical steps in the typical puppy-buying process.…”

“…Government restrictions to movement during the pandemic (known as “lockdowns”) may have unintentionally promoted sub-optimal puppy purchasing behaviour from UK owners by prohibiting or limiting social contact, and thus thwarting several critical steps in the typical puppy-buying process. A major UK study has previously reported that, during the 2020 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, greater numbers of puppies were purchased without being viewed in-person in advance of being taken home, or seen within their home environment with their mother and littermates when they were collected, compared to pre-pandemic puppies bought in 2019 [ 1 ]. Instead, during the pandemic, puppies were more likely to be viewed virtually (e.g., online video calls or pre-recorded videos/photos), and to be collected from outside their breeder’s property, at a meeting place between the breeder’s and new owner’s properties or delivered directly to their new owner [ 1 ].…”

“…A major UK study has previously reported that, during the 2020 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, greater numbers of puppies were purchased without being viewed in-person in advance of being taken home, or seen within their home environment with their mother and littermates when they were collected, compared to pre-pandemic puppies bought in 2019 [ 1 ]. Instead, during the pandemic, puppies were more likely to be viewed virtually (e.g., online video calls or pre-recorded videos/photos), and to be collected from outside their breeder’s property, at a meeting place between the breeder’s and new owner’s properties or delivered directly to their new owner [ 1 ]. These changes to the puppy-buying process risked prospective owners purchasing puppies from breeders who may have been using pandemic restrictions as a ‘smokescreen’ to either hide the unsuitable environments that puppies were raised in, or as a cover-up for the illegal importation of puppies from outside the UK to meet demand [ 6 ].…”