Societal interest in puppies and the Covid-19 pandemic: A google trends analysis.

Abstract

Impulsive puppy purchases have always been problematic and national policies have been developed to discourage this by promoting responsible dog ownership and limiting third party sales. Public interest in puppies between 2018 and 2021 was analysed for five countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom and United States) using Google Trends data. The analysis revealed that societal interest in puppies increased during the examined period. The national Covid-19 pandemic response policies, including lockdowns, accelerated this trend significantly. An important result was that this trend was also present in German data. This suggests that national German policies relating to dog ownership, which are stricter than in other countries, and the associated costs have not deterred impulsive behaviours. Thus, this research provides evidence on how stricter policies on dog ownership may not be successful in discouraging impulsive behaviours and therefore, policymakers should focus on tackling illegal pet trade and on regulating online puppy purchases.