Market boom for pets in Cork sees prices soar during lockdown; breeder says dogs are selling for up to €2k amid warnings on ownership commitment

THERE are waiting lists for dogs costing up to €2,000 while some cats are selling for up to €800 due to a surge in people looking for pets during the Covid-19 lockdown.

One man who sold an English bulldog online for €1,850 within a few hours of advertising the animal told The Echo that he has ten people on a waiting list for similar puppies which he is bringing in from Poland shortly.

Another breeder who breeds Rhodesian Ridgebacks said that the price of the animals has jumped from around €1,300 to over €2,000 in recent months.

Among the high-end pooches are English and French bulldogs, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Irish Wolfhounds, Rottweilers and Bernese mountain dogs.

The prices depend on whether the owner has the dogs registered with the Irish Kennel Club and has background information, as well as vaccinations.

Meanwhile, designer breeds of cats are attracting up to €800 for Cornish Rex and Maine Coon kittens.

However, inspector with the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Lisa O'Donovan is warning that people purchasing pets during the lockdown may end up regretting their purchase.

She said: "We are aware of a surge in people getting pets because people are at home and have more time and think it is a good thing to do to get a pet. This is as big a bonanza as Christmas. But we are very concerned that these animals will be surplus to requirements when things go back to normal."

And she said that in situations where people lose their jobs as a result of Covid-19, they will end up having large bills for their new pets which they will not be able to afford and may not have been expecting.

She said: "Will they be able to afford to feed it and neuter it?"