That Paris Hilton look is out, and that's not good news for some small dog breeds.
Animal charity Blue Cross Rehoming Centre, serving England, Wales and Scotland, has found that the overall number of surrendered "handbag dogs" or "purse dogs" -- small breeds that commonly fit into large tote-style purses -- have increased over 120% over the last five years.
A photo posted by Novella (@novellabuying) on Jul 10, 2015 at 10:16am PDT
In a press release sent to Mashable, Blue Cross noted that the top most common breeds in need of rehoming at their shelters were:
1. Yorkshire terriers
2. Chihuahuas
3. Cavalier King Charles spaniels
4. Bichon frises
5. Shih tzus
"Sadly, people often think these little dogs won’t be much trouble to care for and it’s often too late when they realize they don’t have time. People may also think that breeding ‘handbag’ pups is a good way to make a bit of money," said Blue Cross manager Kellie Brookes in the press release.
A photo posted by Paris Hilton (@parishilton) on Apr 2, 2015 at 1:34am PDT
The celebrity trend of carrying pets in handbags does not help the charity's cause. Hollywood stars and socialites like Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Hillary Duff, while they love their couture pups, are particularly notorious for the trend and have spread it into the general public as well.
Unfortunately, people don't always fully realize that dogs are not accessories and have needs like food, exercise, lots of attention and other things that don't fit into a purse.
According to the charity's survey of pet owners, "nearly a third spend less than a week researching which pet they will get ... 38% admitted to spending more time researching the purchase of a new mobile phone or tablet and 18% had even bought a pet on impulse."
The charity believes that just a little research can go a long way in making sure that when a dog is adopted, it stays adopted.
Even if your pup can't stay in your handbag, it can still be your perfect companion.
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