34) FOR * ALL * RESCUE DOGS: Dogs & Animals After Covid: Rising Cruelty, Abuse, & Abandonment, & The Questions We Should Ask Ourselves Before Adopting A Dog, Puppy, Or Indeed Any Pet...
- alexpatchworkpaws
- Aug 18
- 9 min read
From "pandemic puppies & dogs" to today’s crisis in animal rescue, welfare, & cruelty - why mindset & commitment matters more than ever in dog ownership!...
Here at Patchwork Paws H.Q., our precious furry, four & three legged pooches are enjoying the comfort of our mobile air conditioning units, whilst the U.K. basks in some of the craziest summertime temperatures ever. It was a very wise investment, a few years ago. None of our dogs seem able to cope with the heat, despite coming from Romania & Thailand.
As I write, Ollie-Bob is fast asleep on my pouffe, between my legs, on a soft blanket & the others have chosen comfortable & soft places to sleep, either on our three seater sofa, which is covered with a soft cover (this sofa effectively belongs to them, exclusively) or on a choice of eight super soft dog beds.
They are comfortable, safe, relaxed & very loved - living the life they deserve & always should have had. We would literally do anything to ensure their happiness & well-being. As far as we're concerned, they are very beloved, treasured, cherished, & valued members of our family, we don't see them as "just" dogs, even though they are not human, & they are not our blood! We made a commitment to them, when they joined our family, & many have come from the most unimaginably awful circumstances. (We have spoken about this in our past articles, so we won't go into too much detail here). We want to show our dogs real love, commitment & compassion, & that not all humans are as awful as they have likely experienced in their originating countries. 🙏
We mention this because we want to talk about mindset & approach to dog ownership. It's a discussion that we feel, we really must have here & now.
To put it bluntly, how you view dogs, pets, & wildlife as a whole, is something that warrants a lot of thought, on your part, before you even consider the commitment of fostering or adopting a dog. We have touched on these elements in previous articles, but we feel it requires further discussion.
Although this makes for some slightly uncomfortable reading, the U.K. is increasingly losing its reputation of being a country of dog & animal lovers. Abandonment, abuse, & cruelty are at an all time high - not just for dogs but also for cats & wildlife, too. 😔🙏
The figures & statistics make for some sobering reading...
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) received 34,401 cruelty reports between June & August 2024, up from 25,887 in the same period the year before (2023).
On average, the RSPCA received 374 reports of animal cruelty every day in June to August 2024.
It received 88,770 reports of cruelty across the whole year in 2023, which rose to 105,250 in 2024 - up 19% compared to 33%, when looking at summer months alone.
In the past three years (reported in November 2024) the amount of animals abandoned in England & Wales increased by 51%, according to figures released by the RSPCA.
It is believed that the Covid pandemic might have contributed to these increases, as dog ownership clearly rose during this period (as we have previously discussed in earlier articles).
Furthermore, some of these so-called "pandemic puppies & dogs" were most certainly adopted into inexperienced homes, homes with unrealistic expectations of them, or to homes that later experienced financial hardship, relationship & family breakdowns, or changes in their living situations etc.
Once life went back to a semi-normal state, after Covid, with people returning to work, many of these "pandemic dogs" were very sadly surrendered back to rescue - many exhibiting training & behavioural needs.
This situation has been made worse by the post-Covid cost of living crisis, where some people have felt financially forced to surrender their pets.
With such high pressures on an already struggling nationwide rescue situation, where rescue space could not be found, some people have felt no other option but to consult a vet about the option of euthanasia, or maybe worse in some cases, taking it into their own hands... (You only need to consult the media to see some extreme examples, & we will not discuss them here). 🙏😔
Almost all U.K. rescues are, consequently, at crisis point, full & bursting, with pets desperately needing homes but too full to help many more. 🙏
Going back to the RSPCA figures now, we can't just attribute an increase in abandonment, abuse & cruelty cases to an increase in dog ownership alone.
We're also seeing a rise in cruelty towards cats & wildlife. Catapults & air rifles are increasingly being used in such cases, & sometimes by children, too - with video shares of cruelty being distributed amongst groups of like minded individuals. 😔
The Covid period hasn't only affected our rates of dog & pet ownership. Much research points to the toll that Covid has had on some children & adults alike. Infections, including Covid, are widely documented to be instrumental in affecting the brain & its function, most worryingly the frontal lobes, leading to behavioural changes, personality changes & changes to executive function.* During this uncertain & often scary time, people have experienced heightened levels of stress, worry & anxiety, & some have been impacted by such aspects as social isolation. People have experienced extreme illness (some are still affected to this day) death of friends & relatives, relationship & family breakdowns, businesses have closed down, jobs & careers have suddenly been lost - forcing people into drastic/sudden career changes, perhaps with a period of unemployment & the resultant loss of income, etc. It was a difficult time, all round. 🙏 It's no wonder that Covid has been documented to cause anxiety & depression amongst some adults & children, & notably, in children & young people, social, emotional & behavioural difficulties, too.** However, we don't wish to delve too deeply into this area, as this is not the purpose of this article. But, for context & balance, we feel we should make mention of this here. We are certainly not qualified psychologist's, sociologist's, neurologist's, or medical doctor's here at Patchwork Paws H.Q. But we have noticed some changes in the behaviours of some people around us, & we wonder about the affects that this has had on aspects such as patience & tolerance; which might affect a person's perception & approach to their dog or other animals.
Again, we acknowledge that the topic of animal abandonment, abuse & cruelty makes very uncomfortable reading but it highlights the importance of mindset & approach to dog (or pet) ownership, the importance of the entire household sharing the same compassionate values, & the need to educate our children continuously on having & maintaining a kind, compassionate & respectful approach to animals.
Owning a new puppy or dog can place much pressure & responsibility on everyone in the home. It's rarely smooth sailing, particularly at first, whilst your new dog settles in, decompresses & "unpacks their baggage" (in the case of a rescue dog). Some dogs settle in within a few months, others will need a year or so, or longer. But this happens at a pace & timescale DETERMINED BY YOUR DOG, & CANNOT BE RUSHED BY US. There will most likely be accidents on the carpets, mud walked through the house & chewed slippers, etc. They will require some level of training & may even require some behavioural support. Few dogs ever arrive & just settle in, like they've always been there, or like they are part of the furniture. Just like a human relationship, we have to work at it to make it work! We think human relationships are like a garden - the grass, trees, plants & flowers need regular care, watering, feeding, nurturing, pruning & "weeding", it is just the same with our dogs & pets!
The questions to ask yourself are, are you & your family up for the mental, emotional & physical highs & lows of dog ownership? Are you all prepared for upheaval at home, as well as the possible need to make easements & adaptations for your new dog - both at home & to your lifestyle, etc.? Are you prepared to extend every ounce of compassion, understanding, patience & tolerance to your new dog, no matter what? Are you able to see that a dog never deliberately does things to upset you, but instead has a reason for acting in such a way, & are you prepared to listen? Are you prepared to put your dog's needs first?
Remember, the whole house needs to be able to "sing from the same hymn sheet" here.
Your household's unified mindset & approach to your new dog is so important, because the very success of your adoption hinges on it. Here at Patchwork Paws H.Q., we hope that our content will help you to make the best informed decisions, at all points in the decision making process, when considering the adoption of a new dog. It is hoped that more adoptions will succeed, as a result. We understand how disappointing it must be to have to surrender a dog - from the adopter's perspective, for the dog, & for the rescue organisation involved. We hope to provide a "tool kit" of sorts, to help you work through the decision-making process.
If you are new here & thinking about adopting a dog, particularly a rescue dog, we invite you to take a look at our previous articles, which will be of interest to you.
For those who have been following us for some time, thank you for being here with us, on this journey. 🥰 We hope we have helped you so far. 🙏
We will be exploring some of these issues further over the coming months... We attempt to produce a new blog every month but this is subject to many working parts.... Please subscribe to stay informed of the publication of new blogs. 🥰
📣 Highlighted Sources... 📣
* Infection Control Today... "Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Personality and Brain Function: A Grim Reality or a Wake-Up Call?"... https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/understanding-impact-covid-19-personality-brain-function-grim-reality-wake-up-call-
** University of Oxford... "Young People’s Mental Health Deteriorated at Greater Rate During the Pandemic"...
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We always welcome your feedback, so please feel free to leave us a comment or email us. 🥰
📣 Please remember to always choose no harm, fear free, force free & non-aversive training methods based on mutual respect, trust & positive reinforcement. Please always consider that a behaviour that YOU might find undesirable might be quite normal behaviour to your dog, the behaviour might be motivated by a past trauma/fear, or it might be motivated by your dog's emotional response to something. Always treat your dog with love, patience, empathy, understanding & kindness - even if they do have toileting accidents or if they chew your favourite slippers. 📣🙏
📍 The dog behaviour & training world is largely unregulated here in the U.K. & not all are equal. Please do your homework & always choose a behaviourist or trainer carefully. Look at the methods of training they use & the stance they choose to adopt. Always check their qualifications, accreditations & references/feedback carefully. 📍
Pictured: My lap is a revolving door of snuggles. 🥰 Here is Hot Rod 🔥 (aka Rodney) having his turn. 💕
