Tuula Laitinen, Director of the Finnish Kennel Club Breeding Committee, stated Helsingin Sanomat that interest does not show relief when people still work a lot at home.
“The interest is still clearly visible. I’m sure that there are plans to quite a large number of litters, “he said.
Getting a dog is an important decision that should be weighed carefully. Emmi Hakio, a dog trainer and behavior expert, revealed to the newspaper that improvised decisions about taking a dog over the past year have increased the number of clients seeking help with matters related to their dogs.
“People may not have thought about the decision to acquire a dog or its breed. Or maybe they didn’t know to give the dog enough of the things it needs. Some people think it learns to behave on its own, ”he said.
Hakio pointed out that his professional name, dog trainer, is a bit misleading because most of the training is done with the dog owners and not the dogs themselves. “I train owners whose dogs have behavioral problems,” he summed up for Helsingin Sanomat.
He added that many of his clients are not indifferent, but rather possibly unaware of some of the factors that should be considered when getting a dog.
“It’s not indifference to many. It’s often ignorance. Maybe they have searched for information and even read a lot, but don’t know how to apply the information in practice,” he estimates.
The pandemic has affected not only the number of people who have received dogs but also the number of people who give up dogs.
Rekku Rescue, a Finnish animal welfare organization that provides accommodation for abandoned or detained dogs and cats, has registered a sharp increase in the number of people giving up their pets. Minna Monto. The organization, he said, has been offered about 150 dogs over the past year, a 100 percent increase from the previous year.
“People are starting to have one-year-old dogs that they want to get rid of,” he told Helsingin Sanomat. “It’s good that people are looking for help if they can’t keep a dog.”
Rekku Rescue was preparing for the growth in demand.
“We knew to wait for it. People were sent to their homes early last year and they started getting pets thinking they had to be a dog. Now dogs probably have all sorts of behavioral problems because people didn’t know how to train them. Or maybe they realized that a dog requires a lot of work and is not as comfortable as you thought. “
Growing demand has led to long wait times for reputable breeders and has led some buyers to turn to informal channels. Some owners, for example, have sold their dogs without telling the buyer about the problems they experienced, while the so-called Puppy mills have continued to peel off puppies that may be unhealthy or unvaccinated.
“The owner can send a dog with problems forward. With a new owner, problems often double, ”Monto said.
Waiting times can also have had a positive effect when those who are not necessarily serious have been made to scrap their plans.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page