There’s no denying that there has been a rise in the demand for buying and adopting dogs since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic first began.
Getting a dog may have even been a thought you’ve had yourself over the last 10 months.
After all, life as we once knew it was flipped on its head, leaving many with more time on their hands than they are usually used to.
And with this unprecedented adjustment to lifestyle, came an influx of enquiries to breeders, rescue / adoption centres, and more, by those keen to welcome a four-legged friend into their lives thanks to the newly-introduced requirement to stay at home, and it even saw Pets4Homes – one of the UK’s largest online pet marketplaces – reveal that a total of 466,601 dogs have been advertised on the site so far, with the average prices also increasing by 131%.
It also found that the demand for puppies was 51% greater than dogs aged one or older between July and September last year.
It’s these very statistics, along with several other factors which will be touched upon, that have lead a number of animal experts to recently issue a warning of an impending “major dog welfare crisis” following this sharp rise in the number of dogs being sold online.
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Why is this the case?
Well, many will say it’s inevitable that when there is a recorded rise in the number of people looking to buy or adopt a dog, and then successfully doing so, that there will then be a rise in the number of dogs abandoned as a consequence – and they would be right.
The RSPCA has responded to 5,955 reports about abandoned dogs since the start of the pandemic.
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And Rory Cowlam – a vet and ambassador for the RSPCA – sadly told Sky News that he expects to see the number of dogs being abandoned spike even further this year, explaining that: “Abandonments are going to happen because people have got puppies on a whim. They’ve been putting off getting a dog for years and years, they’re suddenly furloughed or they’re at home more, and they think now’s the right time to get a dog.”
Mr Cowlam also added that the rising demand has also led to worrying “increases in puppy theft and, unfortunately, increases in things like puppy farming and irresponsible breeding”.
Dr Samantha Gaines – a dog welfare specialist at the RSPCA – also devastatingly agreed that: “We’ve probably yet to see the worst to come.”
She continued: “We’re now into the third lockdown in England and people still are at home with their puppies that they bought last year, some people will be thinking about getting puppies now. If there is anyone at this moment in time that is thinking about getting a dog or a puppy because they’re at home, we’d urge people to be very very careful and to make sure they do their research.”
Dr Gaines too warned that “now is probably the greatest time ever you’d be caught out by someone”.
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Ira Moss – co-founder of the dog welfare, rescue and rehoming charity All Dogs Matter – said that the online market for dogs has become a “lucrative” and “unscrupulous trade” due to a lack of regulations.
She said: “They’re being multi-sold, so one dog can turnover, can transact £5,000 to £10,000 if it’s sold three times. It’s become such a commodity, a dog. At some point, there’s got to be a saturation point – this can’t carry on forever, it’s just not practical.”
Ms Moss added: “It’s just so sad – we’re a nation of dog lovers and we’ve created this monster.”
But what is the current situation here in Greater Manchester when it comes to dog welfare, given all the worrying alerts recently raised?
Has there been a rise in the number of people looking to adopt a dog, and then a rise in subsequent abandonment figures? How are our region’s rescue centres coping amid one of the toughest global challenges in modern history? And have they noticed a shift in public attitudes?
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We spoke to Emma Billington, founder and owner of Dogs 4 Rescue – an semi-rural Manchester-based independent dog sanctuary that has developed a unique “cage free” approach to animal welfare to ensure that all dogs are socialised in a healthy, relaxed and happy foster home environment, whilst waiting for their forever families – to get a grasp on the true picture.
Dogs 4 Rescue
“From our perspective, we have seen an enormous rise in the number of people looking for dogs.” Emma said.
“[We’ve had lots of] emails from people desperate to get a dog [and] the type of people have changed as well, it’s not necessarily the people looking to “rescue a dog”, but just people wanting dogs and either turning to the rescue for a cheaper dog ,or some just exhausting all avenues in what appears a desperate attempt to get any dog while they’re off.
“We’ve now got a huge waiting list of suitable homes [though] and we are no longer inundated with the people wanting to get rid of their dogs save for the ones who are really difficult, and therefore reasonably hard to rehome.
“[But this means that] the only dogs we have left are those with the most challenging behaviours needing experienced homes.
She continued: “We have seen the rapid increase in the dog population and know the dogs who are going to be flooding rescues over the next few months are all those who were bought as a response to COVID and when people realise they no longer have time for them.
“Also there is the issue of them having separation anxiety because they have been brought up in an artificial environment where family are at home,
“But in the future, as things change, they will suffer.
“Separation anxiety is one of the hardest things to deal with and trying to find homes for those able to help these dogs is almost impossible at the best of times”.
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Dogs 4 Rescue
Dogs 4 Rescue were previously at the forefront of the campaign urging Greater Manchester residents to carefully consider their situation before welcoming a dog into their lives during the first wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, insisting that “a dog is for life, not just for lockdown”.
And Emma also joins other experts in expressing her concerns over the rise in usage of the online pet marketplace.
“The only ones who have benefited from all of this is once again the breeders.” Emma continued.
“The demand and people desperate for dogs has ensured suffering on a much bigger scale than we have ever known, and [has also] driven a huge hike in the criminal activity of puppy smuggling [too].”
“The rescue world as we know it has changed for the foreseeable.
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“[And] we are currently buying a second site to try and get ready for the fallout of this”.
Emma admits that although it is difficult to deny that the current situation is “rather depressing” as we get underway with a new year, they are still “trying to ensure our moves are to give hope and inspire a different way of doing things”.
And they are doing an absolutely brilliant job.
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To help Dogs 4 Rescue continue its essential work across Greater Manchester, please consider donating whatever you can via the website, and for large donations or offers of corporate support, you email Emma Billington at [email protected] or ring 07412361769.
You can also keep up to date with Dogs 4 Rescue day-to-day on social media – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Feature
In celebration of Momo Shop: a Chorlton favourite that has flourished since its rebrand
Danny Jones
It’s not often we go out of our way to hammer home just how staggering we found a restaurant, but after now losing track of the number of times that a member of our team has eaten at Momo Shop in Chorlton and come back near speechless, it deserves more than a review.
We regularly hold ourselves back and resist the urge to talk in superlatives wherever possible, especially because we worry we might be falling into the recency bias trap, but in this instance, we’re going to go out on a limb and fall on our hospitality sword. Well, this particular writer is…
It’s official: Momo Shop Nepali Street Food – for our money, anyway – is up there with one of THE best restaurants in Manchester right now.
And there are plenty of reasons why, not least of all because of the years of practice they have feeding increasingly discerning Manc diners under a different moniker.
Simple but charming – all the focus is on the foodAnd the food speaks for itselfSome of the most flavourful fillings you’ll find in ManchesterBusy any given night of the weekNo review (Credit: The Manc Eats/Momo Shop via Instagram)
If you don’t live in/frequent Chorlton, you’ll be forgiven for thinking that this gaff was a somewhat new addition to Chorlton, but in actual fact it’s been gradually growing a loyal and passionate following for more than seven years.
This is because before the miniamlist rebrand that saw the walls stripped back, the exterior painted blue and cutesy little bits of artwork hung amidst that familiar and atmospheric festoon lighting, Momo Shop was once The Little Yeti.
Its former iteration boasted hundreds of glowing reviews in its own right, which already plated up plenty of stunning Nepalese food, but since switching primarily towards serving a menu primarily made up of momos (Tibetan-style fried dumplings hand-folded into various shapes) they’ve well and truly shone.
Now approaching a full 12 months under the new name, the Nepali street food spot isn’t just one of a relatviely small handful considering how much great South Asian food there is across Greater Manchester, we’d wager it could be the very best representing that Alpine-Himalayan belt in our region.
Our latest visit was genuinely just as good as our first, second, third and so on – take your pick.
From the simply incredible deep fried pork dumplings and the deeply moorish butter sauce that goes with literally any momo filling, to the super traditional buffalo ones that are not only authentic but, come on, where else can you find such a unique meat in these parts? It’s some of the best food we’ve eaten.
And we don’t just mean of late; Momo Shop might genuinely among of the nicest scran we’ve had in ages and it’s no exagerration to say that the first taste we enjoyed from many of these flavours have formed some of the strongest culinary memories we’ve created in quite a while.
It’s also worth nothing that it isn’t just one main snack-sized dish. The chow mein, keema noodles and cheesy chops are showstoppers themselves, and we’ve already booked in again for a 30th birthday celebration purely so we can try those lambs ribs and their take on a shashlick.
Nevertheless, we love the idea of the numerous configurations and concotions by pairing different dumplings and owner Niti Karki gave us some pro-tips of the best duos and even let us in on the trade secret of her go-to combo when she’s hungover. Legend.
Once again, at the risk of sounding too hyperbolic, odd moments have felt like core foodie memories on a par with our favourite all-time meals.
Personally, I’m glad to report that this isn’t just a review: consider this a declaration that Momo Shop has quickly become my favourite restaurant not just in Chorlton but in all of central Manchester, something I haven’t had since the heartbreaking closure of Cocktail Beer Ramen + Bun in 2023.
Plenty of varietyDamn straightNiti = absolute iconWe’ll keep your condiment secret forever, Niti…
There might be an element of the almost HakkaPo-esque style drawings, the colour palette and the carefully curated pop-punk, old school emo and post-hardcore playlist that’s over half a decade in the making that makes particualrly partial to this place
But before we wrap up this glorified love letter parading as a ‘review’, we also want to give a special nod to the charming staff and Niti’s mum, specficially, who was too modest to even let us share her picture, but whose wealth of wisdom, influence and experience has clearly inspired Momo Shop’s success.
Don’t be shy, Sue – the only thing more stylish than the food was you, girl. Pop off.
Put simply, we’ll be going back here as regularly as possible until we try every different momo + sauce variation there is, and there’s nothing you can do to stop us.
If you are in the mood for more dumpling excellence, by the way, you might want to check out the unassuming Northern Quarter gem that is Chef Diao.
Lady Gaga is a tour-de-force of talent at the Co-op Live Manchester
Clementine Hall
Lady Gaga proves she’s a truly world-class act after two sold-out nights at the Co-op Live Manchester, as if we needed any reminding.
The city of Manchester has been flooded with harness-wearing, mesh-sporting little monsters over the past two days.
And that’s because the absolute icon that is Lady Gaga brought her ‘Mayhem Ball’ to the Co-op Live for two nights.
I don’t think you’ll find anyone who doesn’t know who this fabulous woman is. Over the past decade, she’s won an Oscar, headlined the Super Bowl, performed in blockbusters alongside Al Pacino, no less, and her songs are literally ingrained into our minds.
It’s been a whole 11 years (yes, really) since she performed in Manchester, and it’s safe to say she was back with a bang.
The performance was split up into five distinct acts, and each one was as exhausting and exhilarating as the next.
She begins the show by bopping out of a comically huge red dress, but this staging was only the start of what madness was about to ensue.
Luckily, we’d been prepared by the other half of the Audio North team, who had the equal privilege of seeing her on night one and were left similarly speechless.
Throughout the 30-song epic, we had crutches, sand pits, cages, skeletons, enough wigs to produce an amateur production of Annie, and we didn’t question any of it. Why would we? It’s Lady Gaga.
Kicking things off with ‘Bloody Mary’, the two and a half hour marathon didn’t leave any stones unturned.
We had all the bangers, from ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Paparazzi’ to ‘Bad Romance’ and ‘Applause’, it had us wondering why any other superstar even bothers putting a song out these days.
Pop is in a good place at the moment with the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and so on, but you can make a strong case for Gaga having helped pave the way for every lady in the business ever since.
Gaga truly had us in the palm of her hands (or claws at one point), even more so when she left the stage to de-robe and show her more vulnerable side for the last two songs – beanie firmly on.
It wasn’t just a concert: this was a fully-fledged tour de force of talent that Manchester won’t forget any time soon.
Sometimes there’s no point in intellectualising why someone has that ‘X-factor’; sometimes you just have to take a step back and say WOW.