Pandemic Puppies 2020: A Longitudinal Study

Given the huge success of the Pandemic Puppies project and the ongoing commitment from our wonderful owners of these puppies, we have decided to turn the project into a long-term body of work. In January 2022, we launched a longitudinal study version of the original 2020 Pandemic Puppies cohort to follow the health, behaviour and welfare of these special dogs over time, generously funded by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. This new work will additionally examine aspects of the dog-owner bond along with COVID-19 impacts to better understand any potential relinquishment risks for these dogs. It is hoped that this study will inform canine welfare professionals to better support owners of Pandemic Puppies to minimise any potential deficits the dogs may have experienced in early life.

Owners of Pandemic Puppies who consented to take part in further research (a total of 2345 participants) were contacted to fill in further surveys as their dogs reach 21, 24 and 27 months of age.

The 21 month time point closed to the last participant on 26th August 2022 (the 24 month time point closed on 26th November 2022, with the 27 month time point closing on 25th February 2023).

We are delighted that our paper on the behaviour of Pandemic Puppies, including owners use of training approaches and sources of advice for behaviour problems at 21 months has been published and can be accessed via the link below. In addition an infographic highlighting the main findings can be found here.

Brand, C. L., O’Neill, D. G., Belshaw, Z., Dale, F. I., Merritt, B. L., Clover, K. N., Tay, M.-X. M., Pegram, C. L., and Packer, R. M. A. (2023) Impact of puppy early life experience, puppy-purchasing practices and owner characteristics on owner-reported problem behaviours in a UK Pandemic Puppies cohort at 21 months of age. Animals

We are currently analysing the rest of the 21 month data and writing papers on:

• The health of Pandemic Puppies and their owners’ access to/use of veterinary care at 21 months
• The dog-owner bond of Pandemic Puppies at 21 months and risk factors for relinquishment

We plan to submit these papers by Spring 2024 to open access publications (where papers are free to access) and will keep you updated on the findings. All owners who indicated they would like to read the results of studies they participated in will be emailed papers directly.

We are also now tracking changes in the behaviour, health and dog-owner bond from 21 to 24 and 27 months of age and plan to publish a paper on our findings in Summer 2024, again in an open access publication.

Some data on the behaviour and dog-owner bond of Pandemic Puppies at 21 months of age has also been presented at a number of scientific conferences, including the UFAW International Conference, Edinburgh UK (28-29th June 2022), the 31st International Society for Anthrozoology Conference, July 7 - 9, 2022 and the 32nd International Society for Anthrozoology Conference, June 15 - 18, 2023.

Pandemic Puppies: The Cost-of-Living Crisis  

Given the recent dramatic rising costs of living in the UK and the potential for these to negatively affect the lives of our dogs, we are now aiming for Pandemic Puppies to help us all to understand a bit more about these issues. The focus of this latest study is to better understand and support the needs of dog owners are now dealing with the so-called “cost-of-living-crisis”. By taking part in this survey, charities such as Battersea and the veterinary community will have a better understanding of the unique experiences and challenges dog owners face, helping the canine sector shape their efforts to best help dogs and their owners navigating this challenging period.

To this end, we contacted our 2020 Pandemic Puppies owners who generously consented to take part in further research, with a unique survey link as their dogs turned 36 months of age. Data collection ended on 3rd January 2024 and is now being analysed.

Preliminary data relating to our findings on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on dog owners has been already been presented at the 31st International Society for Anthrozoology Conference, June 15 - 18, 2023.

UPDATED January 2024

What is the RVC Pandemic Puppies: The Next Generation Survey 2021?

We will be investigating how, why and by whom puppies were purchased during 2021. We will also be investigating the early life of 2021 puppies, including their health and behaviour.

How is the study being done?

We are conducting an online survey with eligible dog owners (eligibility details below). The survey will remain open until 27^th March 2022.

Why are we running this study?

We want to investigate the puppy buying process and early lives of puppies bought during the 2021 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, as many decisions during the purchasing process and early puppyhood may influence future dog welfare. The information collected will help us provide support to owners regarding their dogs’ future welfare and will inform future educational messaging on how best to buy a puppy to promote dog welfare.

Who is co-ordinating this study?

Dr Rowena Packer, Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science, and Dr Dan O’Neill, RVC Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Epidemiology are leading the project alongside Dr Claire Brand, Dr. Zoe Belshaw, Dr Fiona Dale, Dr. Camilla Pegram and Dr Kim Stevens.

Who is eligible to participate in this study?

Dog owners who met ALL of the following four criteria:

• Over 18 years of age.
• Resident in the United Kingdom.
• Bought a puppy of any breed or crossbreed home aged under 16 weeks during 2021.
• Purchased a puppy from a private seller (i.e., did not breed them themselves, paid for the puppy AND did not obtain them from a formal rescue organisation, as we are interested in the process of buying a puppy).

N.B. Even if you no longer own your puppy, we would still like to hear from you.

If you acquired more than one puppy during 2021, we ask that you answer for whichever is currently the youngest of these. If two puppies are the same age (e.g. littermates) then please answer for the puppy whose name comes first alphabetically.

We ask for only ONE response per household; the survey should ideally be completed by the person most involved in the purchasing decision.

How long does the survey take to complete?

Completion of the entire survey will take approximately 20 minutes of your time, but can contribute hugely to a lifetime of improved welfare for dogs in the future. If you do not have a full 20 minutes to spare, there is an option to complete a shorter set of questions which will take approximately 15 minutes.

When will the study results be published?

A peer-reviewed paper from this study will be submitted in Summer 2022, which will be published in an ‘open access journal’ (free for all to access) hopefully by Winter 2022. We will share the results of our study via the RVC website and social media channels. We will send a copy of the paper to all owners who indicated they would like this and provided a contact email address at the end of the survey.

Pandemic Pals: the impact of dog ownership upon the mental wellbeing of children during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

What is the Pandemic Pals study?  

This new research, generously funded by the Society of Companion Animal Studies, aims to better understand the relationship between dogs and their owners, focusing on the impact of dog ownership upon mental wellbeing amongst families who currently have children aged between 8-17 years inclusive living in the household.  This study will lead to a better understanding of children’s unique experiences and challenges during the pandemic, and how owning a dog impacted upon that, enabling organisations to provide better support for other households with children and dogs across the UK in the future.  

What does this study involve?   

We are conducting an online survey with eligible dog owners (eligibility details below). To take part, you and any eligible children in your household simply answer a series of questions online.  

You will answer an adult-specific survey and then depending on the number of children in your household that are eligible, a child-specific survey (one for each eligible child) will follow-on.

 How long does the survey take to complete and can I help my child/children take part?

The adult-specific survey will take no longer than 10 minutes and then a further 8 minutes per child.
The child-specific survey will take no longer than 15 minutes per child.

You are welcome to help your child/children with reading their survey, but we would ideally prefer that you let your child/children think about and provide their own answers to the questions for themselves - we really want to learn about their unique perspectives. 
We appreciate how valuable your time is and because of this, you will be able to fill in the survey over more than one session if needed. If you choose to take part, you will have until the 25th April 2023 in which to complete the whole study.

Who is eligible to take part in this study?  

Dog owners who meet ALL of the following five criteria:

• Over 18 years of age.
• Resident in the United Kingdom.
• Brought a dog of any breed or crossbreed home aged under 16 weeks between 1st January 2019-31st December 2021 (we are particularly keen to hear from owners of puppies acquired before the pandemic, i.e., acquired between 1st January 2019-22nd March 2020)
• Purchased a dog from a private seller (i.e., you did not breed them yourself, you paid for your dog AND you did not obtain them from a formal rescue organisation), and
• Currently the parent/caregiver of a child/children aged between 8-17 years inclusive.

If you acquired more than one dog during 2019-2021, we ask that you answer for whichever is currently the oldest of these. If two dogs are the same age (e.g., littermates) then please answer for the dog whose name comes first alphabetically.

Owners of puppies acquired in 2019, 2020 and 2021 who have previously taken part in our surveys, consented to take part in further research and indicated that they have children living in their household have already been contacted.

Take the survey:

https://rvc.uk.com/pandemic-dog-pals-2023

The survey will remain open until  midnight 14th May 2023 

Who is co-ordinating this study?  

Dr. Rowena Packer, Dr. Dan O’Neill, Dr. Claire Brand and Dr. Zoe Belshaw.  

When will the study results be published?  

We plan to submit the findings in Autumn 2023 to an open access publication (where papers are free to access) and will keep you updated on the findings. All owners who indicate they would like to read the results of studies they participate in will be emailed the paper directly.

People: Sophie Lumsdon (MSc Clinical Animal Behaviour - University of Edinburgh) supervised by Dr Rowena Packer (RVC), in collaboration with the Pandemic Puppies Research Team.  

Background

The UK is reportedly a nation of dog lovers, with around 1 in 3 households owning a dog. Although dogs can bring great joy to many of our lives, owners may sometimes find the behaviours that their dogs’ exhibit to be challenging, a nuisance or even disruptive to their lives. We are interested in learning more about how dog owners in the UK have and/or would approach a range of dog behaviours, including if and where you would look for information and/or advice on how to address the problems that you perceive from these behaviours. The results of this study will hopefully help the veterinary and animal behaviour professions to better understand and support owners and their dogs when faced with behavioural issues.  

How are we carrying out this study?  

We have designed a survey to explore caregivers’ responses to a series of hypothetical scenarios (vignettes) representing commonly displayed behaviours by pet dogs. Owners’ decision-making in response to these scenarios will be explored, including owners’ perceptions of severity and if/where they would seek advice. Further questioning will explore potential factors that may be influencing owners’ decisions when deciding if/where to seek advice.  

Participants are eligible for inclusion if they are:

• over 18 years of age;
• resident in the UK;
• currently own at least one dog of any type or age.  

Take part in this study!  

This study will be open from 1st March 2023 – 5th April 2023  

The survey will recruit participants from across the UK using a ‘snowball sampling’ approach – sharing our link widely across social media posts and in person via flyers with a QR code linking to the survey, as well as recontacting participants from previous Pandemic Puppy research projects who have opted into being informed about future studies.   If you meet the eligibility criteria above, please follow this link to complete the survey:  

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/whatthewoof

If you have any further questions regarding this study, please contact Miss Sophie Lumsdon at s.lumsdon@sms.ed.ac.uk or Dr Rowena Packer and Dr Claire Brand at pandemicpuppies@rvc.ac.uk

What is the RVC Popular Pooches Study?

This is a Masters in Research postgraduate study, generously supported by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust. It will collect information about owner experiences of certain popular dog breeds and crossbreeds within the UK including

• daily caregiving
• experiences of dog health and behaviour
• relationships between dogs and owners
• how these aspects met or differed from owner expectations of their dog while they were a puppy.

Why are we running this study?

Around one in three households in the UK own a dog, with dog ownership recently booming during the Pandemic. Within the UK dog population, there are a wide range of over 800 breeds and their crosses. However, despite this, our shared understanding of the experiences of owning specific breeds or crossbreeds, and how they differ, is poorly understood.

Who is eligible to participate in this study?

Owners who currently own at least one of the following breeds/crossbreeds, brought home from 1st Jan 2019 onwards at age 16 weeks or younger, are eligible to take part in this study:

• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
• Cavapoo (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel crossed with any Poodle breed)
• Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel crossed with any Poodle breed)
• Cocker Spaniel
• Labradoodle (Labrador Retriever crossed with any Poodle breed)
• Labrador Retriever
• Miniature/Standard/Toy Poodle

N.B Owners of All dogs within each breed or crossbreed are welcome to participate including those from working, show, agility and pet lines
If you own more than eligible one dog, please fill out the following survey with the dog whose name comes FIRST in the alphabet. This survey is to be completed for ONE dog per household only.

Owners must meet all of the following criteria:

• Over 18 years of age
• Resident in the United Kingdom
• Own one of the above breeds/crossbreeds
• Dog must have been brought home from 1st Jan 2019 onwards at age 16 weeks or younger

How long does the survey take to complete?

This survey takes approximately 20-25 minutes to complete

When will the study results be published?

A peer-reviewed paper from this study will be submitted in Summer 2023, which will be published in an ‘open access journal’ (free for all to access) hopefully by Winter 2023. Results will be shared via the RVC website and social media channels. We will send a copy of the paper to all owners who indicated they would like this and provided a contact email address at the end of the survey.

Who is co-ordinating this study?

Ms Gina Bryson (Masters in Research student), Dr Rowena Packer (Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science), Dr Dan O’Neill (RVC Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Epidemiology), Dr Claire Brand (Research technician in canine welfare science), Dr Fiona Dale (Veterinary Epidemiologist) and Dr Zoe Belshaw (EviVet Research Consultancy).

Any further questions regarding our study ?

please contact our team at pandemicpuppies@rvc.ac.uk

Click on the links below to view Pandemic Puppies papers:

• Packer, R. M. A., Brand, C. L., Belshaw, Z., Pegram, C. L., Stevens, K. B. and O’Neill, D. G. (2021) Pandemic Puppies: Characterising motivations and behaviours of UK owners who purchased puppies during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Animals. 11(9), 2500
  
  
  
• Brand, C. L., O’Neill, D. G., Belshaw, Z., Pegram, C. L., Stevens, K. B. and Packer, R. M. A. (2022) Pandemic Puppies: Demographic characteristics, health and early life experiences of puppies acquired during the 2020 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Animals. 12(5), 629
  
  
  
• Burnett, E., Brand, C. L., O’Neill, D. G., Pegram, C. L., Belshaw, Z., Stevens, K. B. and Packer, R. M. A. (2022) How much is that doodle in the window? Exploring motivations and behaviours of UK owners acquiring designer crossbreed dogs (2019-2020). Canine Medicine and Genetics. 9, 8
  
  
  
• Packer, R. M. A.; Brand, C. L.; Belshaw, Z.; Pegram, C. L.; Dale, F.; Stevens, K. B.; O'Neill, D. G. (2023) Is UK Puppy Purchasing Suffering a Long COVID Effect? Ongoing Negative Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic upon Puppy Purchase Motivations and Behaviours in 2021. Animals. 13 (13)

These infographics are provided as an open access resource with a CC-BY license provided that attribution is accredited to VetCompass and Pandemic Puppies on all usage. 

Click on the links below for infographics based on Pandemic Puppies publications:

• The Pawfect Storm: High levels of problem behaviours and punishment-based training in the UK "Pandemic Puppies" cohort
• How has the pandemic affected UK puppy buying?
• Pandemic Puppies Study: Has the pandemic affected the early lives of this unique population?
• Designer crossbreed dogs: Risks of the booming demand
• Pandemic Puppies: Is UK Puppy-Purchasing Suffering a Long COVID effect?

Click on the links below for newsletters with updates on the latest Pandemic Puppies news:

Pandemic Puppies Spring Newsletter 2023