GLOBAL PANDEMICS AND LUXURY GOODS Charlie Munns

GLOBAL PANDEMICS AND LUXURY GOODS

How does a Global Pandemic influence luxury goods; in the case of Puppies?

As of 26thMarch 2020, when the UK went into the first lockdown, millions of people were bounded to their homes, isolated from the rest of the world. Not only did this mean people were becoming lonelier, but they also had more time on their hands; with jobs being more flexible and unemployment levels rising. However, some parts of the UK started to have more money as there was far less going out so, people were not spending money on fuel, holidays, and trips.

A combination of these factors meant that the demand for puppies rose to a dramatic extent. Delightful and loveable puppies have always had a steady demand, but in 2020 when the Global Pandemic properly hit the UK, thousands of people knew they could put in the effort and the time to train and love a dog, so the demand massively rose. Unfortunately, there was no increase in the number of puppies available, so the supply decreased, generating a huge upsurge in price.

On average the price of puppies has almost doubled, a standard puppy costing almost £1,900, when in March 2019 the average price was £888. Popular breeds like Cocker Spaniel’s, Jack Russell’s and Cockapoo’s prices have almost tripled, selling for £3000 or more. Such an escalate in price has had significant knock-on effects, in particular dog theft. Wayne May organiser of Dog Lost said: "I've been doing this for 30 years now and it's the worst year I've ever known". Unfortunately, it is clear that criminals have caught on and taken advantage of the rising price and demand, stealing puppies from their forever homes and selling them on for more.

Although criminals target litters of puppies most, there has been several cases of pregnant dogs being captured, and even small dogs that are 3 or 4 years in age being taken, to then be sold on to new owners as a ‘2-month puppy’. Not only is puppy theft devastating to the original owners and unfair and uncontrollable to the new owners, but smuggled puppies are often in poor health and inadequately socialised because of their early life experiences. This means the puppy is more likely to have problems that affect their ability to interact with other humans and dogs and may even acquire separation issues due to being taken at such a young age and not having a delicate and normal upbringing.

Additionally, there is a worry that when the world supposedly gets back to normal, there will be a major rise in the number of puppies that will be abandoned. The RSPCA said the figures were ‘really concerning’ and they are worried about the situation across the nation and how they are going to cope. Overall, COVID-19 had a had a significant change on all luxury items, especially puppies. Puppy theft, abandoned dogs, and distressed, upset owners is now becoming more common, with very little being done to reduce the risk of this in the future. Although, with it becoming more frequent, people are gathering additional knowledge and are being extra careful when buying new pups.