Document type : Article published in Le Point
Author: AFP
Preview: One in four new dog owners in the UK would get rid of their pet, a survey revealed on Friday, following the explosion in pet adoptions seen in the country during the pandemic.
12 million households now have a dog in the UK, up from 9 million before the pandemic began, according to new figures from the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association (PFMA), with many households deciding to get a pet after spending more time at home during successive lockdowns.
But, after the initial excitement, the responsibilities of adopting a pet would seem to be weighing on these new owners.
One in four would consider giving up their dog because of difficulties in controlling it, according to a survey of 2002 adult dog owners in the UK conducted by Atomik Research for Burns Pet Nutrition online between April 6 and 9.
Now that the UK, one of the countries to have suffered the greatest losses in Europe from the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 127,000 deaths, is gradually emerging from lockdown restrictions, some owners are apprehensive about how their four-legged friends will react when they encounter other people and animals [...]
Animal shelters are expecting to take in high numbers of dogs abandoned by their owners.
