By Megan O'Brien
An "astonishing" number of "pandemic puppies" are being given up, as people return to work in the office.
Many people are spending significantly less time at home post-lockdown and are now struggling with their dogs' abandonment issues.
That's according to Dogs Trust, who say they receive on average 8 calls per day from owners who want to give up their pet. The charity has received more surrender requests this year than their entire number for 2020.
The charity says the issue lies with last year's "pandemic puppy" boom, where many people bought dogs while working from home, but are now struggling to train them.
Now, office workers in the South East are being urged to train their puppies to get used to spending time by themselves.
Speaking to Beat News, Petmania Marketing manager and Kilkenny woman Emily Miller says it's a slow process for dogs to feel okay when alone:
"Obviously no dog want to be left alone all day long but what we would recommend is that people start slowly, let your dog get used to the idea that you're not going to be around and build up the time that you're spending away from them.
It might be that you're away for half an hour or an hour and build it up and letting them know that you're always coming home, that's the thing that's really important. So it's helping them learn."
Speaking to Beat News, Petmania Marketing manager and Kilkenny woman Emily Miller says it's due to a lack of attention:
"Dogs can find it quite difficult, particularly if you're dog is used to having you at home all the time over the last 18 months.
If they're crying or they're giving out, it's probably just because they miss you."
