Price of a puppy soars to £1,500 as rush for company during Covid lockdowns pushed up pets' value

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A puppy cost more than £1,500 on average last year because of the 'pet rush' created by the pandemic.

The average cost of 'pandemic puppies' reached £1,550 last year, according to the Royal Veterinary College, compared to just £955 the previous year.

Researchers at the RVC, who surveyed more than 5,500 new puppy owners, found one spent £6,500 on a 'shepadoodle' – a cross between a German shepherd and a standard poodle. 

The average cost of 'pandemic puppies' reached £1,550 last year, according to the Royal Veterinary College, compared to just £955 the previous year

Concerningly, in the rush to become pet owners amid a 'sellers' market', one in six put down a deposit before even seeing their puppy.

This left them at risk from 'petfishing' – where someone who thinks they are getting a healthy puppy is sold a sick one bred intensively at a farm. 

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Dr Rowena Packer, lead author of the study, said the pandemic had led to the 'perfect environment for unscrupulous breeders and puppy dealers'.

The study, published in the journal Animals, found almost a quarter of new puppy owners last year paid between £2,000 and £3,000 for their pet, compared to just 1.8 per cent of new owners in 2019.

Concerningly, in the rush to become pet owners amid a 'sellers' market', one in six put down a deposit before even seeing their puppy 

Reports of a 'puppy shortage' may have encouraged impulse buying, similar to when people panic-bought toilet roll, the authors suggest.

Pandemic puppy owners often bought a younger puppy, despite guidance that puppies should not be separated from their mother before the age of eight weeks.

Experts are concerned puppies which are in ill health or have behavioural issues may end up abandoned by new owners and needing to be rehomed.

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