Plea for people to stop breeding pets as 11 puppies abandoned in just a few weeks in Cornwall

Nine Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies have been signed over to the rehoming centre recently. Credit: RSPCA Cornwall

An animal shelter in Cornwall has been inundated with unwanted pets - with almost a dozen puppies brought to their care in just a few weeks.

In the first 14 days of this year, the rehoming centre in Cornwall had 11 new pups come through their doors.

With nine Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies already in their care, this brought the total number of puppies under their care to 20.

Cornwall RSPCA is asking people not to breed dogs after being inundated with unwanted and abandoned pets.

Four collie puppies were surrendered to the rehoming centre after their owner could no longer care for them last year. Credit: RSPCA Cornwall

In 2020, the charity only had one unwanted pup taken to the Cornwall centre but that number rose to 54 last year.

With the centre seeing more than ten unwanted puppies abandoned in the first few weeks of this year, the team is worried about what this could spell for the rest of the year.

Chief executive officer for the RSPCA Emily Bowen said: "We are pleading with dog owners to stop breeding from their pets.

"We have seen a huge increase in the number of puppies that have come into our care following the Covid pandemic and the current cost of living crisis.

"People are breeding puppies in the hope of generating huge profits as seen during the puppy boom in lockdown.

"This is no longer the case and many breeders are unable to sell their puppies."

She added: "In years gone by it would be unheard of to have such young dogs coming into RSPCA care, unfortunately now, it is a daily occurrence.

"It's getting harder to find suitable homes for these puppies as people struggle with the cost of living.

"Owners are struggling to deal with unsold litters and often these puppies come to us suffering from flea and worm infestations as well as being under-socialised.

"Please check your local rescue if you are looking to take on a puppy before buying from a breeder.”

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