More dogs continue to be surrendered as restrictions ease

The poor dogs.

Since the restrictions began to ease, more and more people are looking to surrender the dogs they got during lockdown. Dogs Trust Ireland has said that they are receiving eight requests a day from people looking to surrender their dogs as a direct result of lockdown restrictions lifting. The dog charity has now received the same number of requests so far this year as they did in the whole of 2020. The main reason for people to give up their dogs is difficulty with behaviour, linking it directing to the easing of restrictions. Head of Communications at Dogs Trust Ciara Byrne said: "It is the change ... it could have been a dog that they have had before Covid [or not] who has adjusted to owners being around 24/7." Ciara previously said that this is becoming an issue for dogs pre-Covid too: "Lots of us are making plans to invite friends over, indulge in some outdoor dining or maybe returning to work outside the home and this may come as a big shock to our fur-covered friends who have grown very accustomed to having us all to themselves. "Even dogs who were used to not having their family at home in previous years have joyously embraced their humans being present more throughout the various lockdowns, so it’s not just puppies who arrived in homes during the pandemic that will be affected." Dog's behaviours typically change once their environment does, so when people begin to return to work and social activities, the dogs will generally behave accordingly. To combat this, Dogs Trust has released an interactive "'Life after Lockdown' pack available to dog owners to help them deal with this transition. This pack aims to help owners teach dogs to be on their own with tips and tricks to help, as well as ways to get them to play with toys and greet people calmly. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ciara said: "Our number one priority is to keep dogs in their homes." She added that while rehoming these dogs is their last resort, she urges those who may be thinking about it to contact Dogs Trust first and they will be able to guide you.