Editorial: October 1, 2021
The English Kennel Club has conducted a survey concerning the number of dogs purchased online as a result of the Covid pandemic – or, as they have labeled it, “Click and Collect” and “Click and Drop.” The English Kennel Club is very good at addressing topics that we at home ignore or make believe don't exist. But that is another topic for another time.
Owing to that year-long-plus lockdown, the norm seems to have become purchasing puppies online, sight unseen. This is much to the chagrin of the English Kennel Club (and most breeders), which has always tried to reinforce responsible puppy-buying habits among the general public by recommending that puppy buyers visit breeders at their home and see the puppy and its relatives before making a decision. But this last year has turned that suggestion upside down. The survey by the English Kennel Club estimates that half of dog owners who purchased their puppy by “Click and Collect” would be happy to do so again in the future. The survey also reported that one-fifth of new owners did not register with a veterinarian, get dog health insurance (which is extremely popular in the United Kingdom), or socialize their dogs with other dogs, people and routines of daily life, enforcing bad habits as a result of lockdown.
The English Kennel Club’s #BePuppywise campaign, a step-by-step guide for buying a dog, released recent research that found that post lockdown, a quarter of respondents said it was normal and easier to meet a puppy virtually rather than in person. This method of online puppy buying also enables scammers and disreputable breeders, who disguise the real and sometimes awful conditions into which these puppies are born.
We are all too familiar with potential buyers being attracted to certain breeds for their physical attributes, but once they buy them are reluctant to do the grooming and care to keep them. Ultimately, many of these dogs have to be rehomed.
Even today, with these modern conveniences at our disposal, nothing can compare to potential puppy buyers meeting the breeders, visiting their homes and meeting the puppies’ sire and dam if available. The end result is always the most successful. Kudos to the English Kennel Club for conducting and publishing this survey based on 2,000 respondents in the U.K. and separately 2,214 dog owners in the U.K. carried out as part of the English Kennel club’s #BePuppywise campaign.
We are pleased to announce that Dog News is now available at the WHITE DOG BONE pet-supply stand at dog shows in the Northeast and at the CALIFORNIA DOG stand serving dog shows in California and the West.