Information from recent research has shown that staying at home, or working from home has provided the opportunity to acquire a pet, and it has been the biggest boom Australia has ever seen in pet ownership.

In a time of significant uncertainty and reduced social interaction during the pandemic, Aussies turned to pet ownership as a source of comfort and joy. The pandemic also showed that pet animal welfare must be explicitly protected as an essential service/activity. Households that have a pet are currently at 69%, up from 61% two years ago. Some animal rescue centres were emptied or almost emptied during the pandemic, however, there has been a sharp spike of returned dogs because many people failed to consider returning to work and the impact of having a pet when time and supervision can be a problem or is too difficult.

The biggest surge in pets has been dog ownership, dog owners enjoy a more active lifestyle (mostly) and their pets brought more routine and discipline into their lives. The ongoing cost of care is the strongest deterrent for those wanting to add a cat or dog to their household. On average, a medium-sized dog costs approximately $3,200 per year for food and health care products, and approximately $2,100 for a cat.

According to Newgate Research, two out of five dogs (or 40%) have been acquired through a breeder, while 24% are from family, friends or neighbours, 13% from rescue shelters and 11% from pet shops. The remainder were acquired through miscellaneous other means.

Purebred dogs are the most commonly sought after and many breeders have increased the price for their animals, some unscrupulous people are finding free animals from online classified ad sites and re-selling them while others steal cute looking or purebred pets, either for themselves or to sell.

In conclusion, a statement from Animal Medicines Australia says that pet owners have a duty and legal responsibility to ensure their pets' welfare needs are met. And that this responsibility should always be facilitated by public policymakers. The problem is that the number of unwanted and discarded pets is not decreasing, which indicates there is a major problem with policies, policymakers and individuals that exploit the loophole or have no regard for animal welfare.

Pam Brandis
Dip.Canine. Prac.

Photo: A row of 10 kennels, many rescue centres may have 5 or more rows.