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Pet demand exploding during Coronavirus Crisis

Nathan Walmer
April 15th, 2020


This article is more than 4 years old.

Hard to resist when we need a cuddle, easy to miss when our life’s a muddle (photo: pxhere.com)

With many people and their families stuck at home amid the Coronavirus Crisis, Danes have been online buying up items not normally in vogue like gardening tools, home workout equipment and cleaning supplies.

As it turns out, puppies are another such addition to the home currently in high demand.

Explosion of inquiries
The ‘Danish Kennel Club’ tells DR that its club’s webpage ‘koebhund.dk’ has seen a 40 percent increase in traffic within the past month, while web traffic for the organisation ‘Danish Animal Protection’ is up 26 percent – presumably from prospective puppy owners.

One dog breeder affiliated with the Danish Kennel Club also told DR that she and 44 other breeders across Denmark have reported an explosion of inquiries in recent weeks.

Few animals up for adoption
Speaking to DR, family animal manager Jens Jokumsen from the Danish Animal Protection stated that at a national level only 36 animals are currently available for adoption.

Normally, the number ranges between 70-100 at this time of year.

With ownership comes responsibility
She also emphasised the responsibility it takes to own and care for a dog, along with the importance of researching which dog breed is right for the adoptees’ home and environment.

“Acquiring an animal must never be an impulse purchase, and so we must also do what we can to ensure that people do not make an uninformed decision,” she said.

According to the Danish Kennel Club, there are around 580,000 dogs in Denmark – one dog for every four Danish homes.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”