The RSPCA rehomed 81 dogs on the Isle of Wight last year and, while Staffies are still the most rescued breed, designer dogs are appearing more and more in the charity’s rehoming centres.
As part of the RSPCA’s special rehoming campaign ‘Adoptober’, new national figures have been released showing that while pure-breed and crossbreed Staffies, lurchers, Jack Russell terriers and German shepherds are still the most common dog to come into its care, more trendy ‘handbag’ breeds and fashionable crossbreeds are also ending up in the charity’s 17 national animal centres.
The number of chihuahuas coming into the RSPCA’s care has gone up by 700% in the last 7 years (14 in 2012 to 112 in 2018), while the number of French bulldogs is up 236%, Dachshunds are up 600% and Pomeranians are up 440%.
Last year, the RSPCA rescued 30 dogs from abuse and neglect on the Isle of Wight.
RSPCA dog welfare expert Lisa Hens said:
“Although Staffies, lurchers, Jack Russell terriers and German shepherds are still the most common dogs coming into our centres, we are seeing a general decrease in their numbers while seeing an increase in the number of fashionable crossbreeds and so-called designer dogs like Dachshunds and French bulldogs arriving in our care.
“We know that the animals coming into our care tend to reflect general dog ownership trends and there’s been a huge surge in recent years in people buying ‘designer dogs’ and crossbreeds such as cavachons, puggles and cockerpoos.
“As part of our rehoming drive this October – called Adoptober – we want to shine a light on all of the dogs in our care and encourage people to adopt a rescue dog instead of buying a puppy. All the animals in our care have a lot of love to give and we have a huge variety of dogs in our kennels waiting for homes, of all ages, shapes, sizes and breeds.”
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Adoptober is a rehoming drive to raise awareness of some of the animals in RSPCA care who so desperately need a forever home. To offer an RSPCA rescue dog a new home visit www.rspca.org.uk/findapet to find your paw-fect match. Dogs like Chewie, Matthew and Millie…
Name: Chewie
Age: 4
Breed: Chihuahua
Where: Godshill Animal Centre, Isle of Wight
A bit about: Chewie is a very inquisitive boy and enjoys finding new smells when out on walks. He enjoys running around and playing but doesn’t always know how to interact with toys so would need someone who could have the patience and time to teach him a few tricks. On top of being quite bouncy he can also get over excited and be a bit clumsy on his feet.
Why he’s special: He does have medical issues which are undergoing treatment, please speak to a member of staff at the animal centre.
Ideal home: He loves being the centre of attention, because of this he would be better suited as an only pet.
More information: Chewie would need to be the only animal in a home but may be able to live with children pending introductions.
Name: Matthew
Age: 5
Breed: Chihuahua
Where: Godshill Animal Centre, Isle of Wight
A bit about: He loves to runaround and play, but also enjoys the occasional fuss.
Why he’s special: He is a very nervous boy when he first meets you but once he has bonded with you, he is a sweet and affectionate boy.
Ideal home: He needs to live in an adul-only home
More information: He might be able to live with another small dog if they are accepting of his need to steal the spotlight!
Name: Millie
Age: 2
Breed: American bulldog crossbreed
Where: Godshill Animal Centre, Isle of Wight
A bit about: Millie is very fun loving, she loves meeting new people and enjoys the attention that generally comes with meeting them.
Why she’s special: Because Millie was a stray we know very little about her, however Millie is only young and still has a lot to learn so would benefit from further training.
Ideal home: She is a very physically active girl she enjoys going out for long walks and exploring the countryside.
More information: Millie would suit an experienced dog owner that has had a similar breed in the past, and who has the time and patience to give Millie further training.
Truly hope all these lovely dogs find loving owners. The Island RSPCA is wonderful. However, IF, like me, you have tried to phone the RSPCA number to report an injured animal, only the most patient would tolerate the delay, the idiotic questions and you never get feedback if the injured animal has been found and treated.
A disgrace. Surely with modern tech, it would not be impossible for calls to go straight through to the local RSPCA officer? I know they say they get abuse etc, but surely, they could divert calls to be screened etc, as when you phone some dope on the mainland, they ask the postcode, impossible if, like me you are walking the countryside, unsure where YOU are let alone know the postcode.
Yet a local chat to a local inspector could soon pin point the location.
I truly worry and wonder how many animals suffer needlessly because people ‘give up’ waiting 15mins or more to get through and then are met with people who don’t even know where the island is, let alone trace an injured sheep in the middle of a field here.
I think it’s very sad that a lot of rescues in general, won’t adopt dogs to families who work full-time. how can you afford to keep a dog, insure them, pay vets fees and yearly injections and feed the properly. I have always worked full-time, arrange for someone to go into my dogs once or twice a day. my dogs couldn’t have a better life, but can we adopt, no apparently because we work.