THE RSPCA has responded to 385 dog incidents in Cumbria this year and there are fears that a dog welfare crisis is on the horizon as lockdown continues.

Tens of thousands of emergency calls have been made to the RSPCA this year so far specifically relating to dogs, with 385 of them in Cumbria, however it is feared that this number could rise next year.

People across the UK were eager to have a puppy at home with them during lockdown, internet searches for ‘puppies near me’ increased by 650 per cent in this time.

Government figures also show that the number of licences issued for the commercial import of dogs more than doubled in the same period last year.

Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the RSPCA, said: “We have seen a rise in people searching for dogs to adopt during lockdown, which is fantastic, but at the same time, there appears to be a rise in people looking to buy puppies.

“We know that there are not enough puppies bred in the UK to meet the demands of those who want to buy them and, worryingly, there appears to be a surge in puppies coming in from outside the UK.

“The problem with this is that, although breeders from countries like Romania are licensed, we have no way of checking the conditions those animals are being kept in and we fear that sales like these could be fuelling cruel puppy farms as well as exposing puppies to long and stressful journeys.”

However, financial pressures caused by the looming recession and the end of the furlough scheme, or families returning to work and school may lead to people not being able to care for their dogs anymore.

The RSPCA is calling on people to be more responsible before taking on this responsibility by doing plenty of research and to also consider adoption. Mr Sherwood said: “Although it is really tempting to buy a puppy, those from abroad may have been bred in poor conditions, leaving them with potentially serious medical and behavioural problems whereas adopting from somewhere like the RSPCA, means you get the support you need.”