THE MOST common breed of dog up for adoption in Reading is the French Bulldog.
Nearly half of all pooches in need of a forever home are this breed according to new research to mark Responsible Dog Ownership Month.
PuppyHero looked at the RSPCA’s search tool to explore which areas in the country had the most pooches looking for some love and walkies.
An estimated 660,000 dogs are rehomed each year, but the numbers are expected to rise as the cost of living crisis bites. PuppyHero warns that rescue centres don’t have the capacity to cope with this increase.
In Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead is the district with the most dogs available for adoption, with 233 dogs listed. Their most popular rescue dog breed is the adorable Cockapoo, with 66 available to adopt.
Second in the rankings is Wokingham. The borough has 146 dogs for adoption, and the English Springer Spaniel is the most common breed there, with 37 available.
Reading was sixth, with 59 dogs available, of which 26 are French Bulldogs.
Labrador Retriever is the most common dog in adoption centres across the top 10 and also the UK
The Labrador occupies 50% of the top 10 UK local authorities, and the UK in general. There are a staggering 2,409 able to be rescued.
Amy Ockleford, a spokesperson for RSPCA, provided insight into the state of dog rehoming and what we can do to help: “RSPCA rescues and rehomes thousands of dogs across England and Wales every year. The dogs were are most likely to see in our centres are Staffordshire bull terriers, lurchers, Jack Russell terriers, German shepherds and crossbreeds.
“Sadly, we’re seeing lots of animals coming into our care at the moment due to the rising cost of living, with owners having to make heartbreaking decisions to part with their pets as they struggle to pay household bills and feed their families.
“We’re also seeing a lot of dogs come to us who have behavioural challenges due to being reared during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, which has left many with severe separation anxiety and lacking vital socialisation skills.”
She added: “We’d urge anyone who thinks they can commit to a dog – both time-wise and financially – to please consider taking on a rescue dog. Our centres are full of dogs of all shapes, sizes, ages and breeds, all of who are patiently waiting to find their perfect match. See all of the dogs in our care on Find A Pet. To help the RSPCA rescue, rehabilitate and rehome more dogs in need during our busy summer months, please support our Cancel Out Cruelty campaign.”
For more details, log on to: https://puppyhero.com/how-to-choose-the-right-dog-breed
