The rise of the pandemic puppy
One of the side effects of lockdown has been a sudden surge in the popularity of dogs. According to the Kennel Club, demand for puppies shot up 140% compared to last year, with waiting lists for puppies, in some cases, more than 400 people strong.
People who have never owned a dog before - or had one when they were a child - are rushing out to snap up a pooch to help keep them company during lockdown life. But why?
A canine love affair
Initially, humans saw dogs as little more than tools. They were faster, had better eyesight, and could help in the rearing of animals in return for warmth by the fire and the occasional scrap. But there was a reason they were the first animals humans domesticated some 100,000 years ago.
As we brought dogs into our lives, we realised, like we did with cows and other livestock, that we could subtly change a dog's traits to make them more adaptable to certain tasks, like sheep-herding, or hunting.
A happy side effect was that some dogs became more affectionate and softer featured than others, opening the door for dogs to hold the record for the world's most diverse mammal.
Today, dogs are used for everything from search and rescue, bomb sniffers, guide dogs, to comfort animals. But why the sudden urge doing lockdown?
They give us structure and focus
During lockdown, our routines went out the window. We were also at home, all the time, two things that can lead us to feel helpless and out of control. Dogs, it turns out are very good at countering that.
When the Centre for Mental Health ran an evaluation on therapy dogs in prisons, they transformed the behaviour of inmates.
“I don’t know what it is, but even when I am running around with [the dog] I just feel better inside, calmer, more peaceful,” said one prisoner. Another told the interviewer: “Dogs have a magic effect on you, you can feel their love and that just makes you feel better inside you.”
The good feelings persist even after the dogs have left, the reviewers found, with one subject saying: “I just walk around for the rest of the day on cloud nine.”
Dogs provide a unique form of focus and structure that a day in lockdown does not. Thye can also help foster problem-solving skills, empathy, attention to the needs of others, and a sense of responsibility. All things that have been correlated with people doing better doing lock down.
They make us fitter
This may sound like an obvious one, but dog owners, on the whole are out and about more often as the result of owning a dog.
According to researchers in Japan, dog owners are 1.5 times more likely to meet the minimum physical activity recommendations set by the government.
At a time where movement is restricted, having an excuse to go out more often, is too tempting an offer.
They're very good at distracting kids
Children are really drawn to animals. According to child psychologist Gail Melson, children as young as six months would rather smile at, hold, follow and make sounds towards a pet dog than a battery-powered alternative.
As children age, a dog's 'predictable unpredictability' increases a child's cognitive curiosity, and helps children form secure emotional bonds that can then be replicated with people.
A dog for a child, is a source of friendship, curiosity and an early opportunity to be responsible for the life of another, which, says research, all helps with a child's development later on.
They're a one-stop-shop cure for loneliness
There's been a significant amount of research into the effects of dog-ownership on loneliness.
A recent study found that dog ownership on its own helped people feel less lonely, especially during the first 8 months of dog ownership. After that, dog owners found it easier to meet new people and feel more a part of their community as a result of being outside with a dog.
Again, all issues many people have mentioned in their experience of being on lockdown. But it's not all a bed of roses, or dog toys.
A cautionary tail
Dogs are expensive. According to the pet charity PDSA, it costs between ￡4,500 to ￡13,000 to look after a dog over its lifetime, and that's without adding in any possible medical problems they might develop.
They also say it costs between ￡370-￡425 to raise a puppy, taking into account vaccinations, food and toys.
That's lead some to worry that once life returns back to normal, a dog's value might decline in a household.
A dog is for life, not just for lockdown.