Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 2:55 pm on 23 June 2021.
Thank you. I think you raise a really important point, and I think many people will be grappling with this issue, perhaps as they go back to work, back to the office or back to their place of employment, because they bought the animal during the COVID pandemic. That change of company throughout the day could cause a big impact on the pet, but also on the owners as well. So, I think they need to plan how they are going to make that transition and being out of the house for long periods of time. Obviously, planning and routine can help animals to adjust to new ways of living. As a Welsh Government, we've always worked closely with the framework group that I mentioned, and also the animal welfare network group we have in Wales, and we've been producing relevant guidance and relevant support for people to be able to do that, and a lot of it is linked to our Welsh Government website, so people can access that very easily.
We've also supported the work of the Pet Advertising Advisory Group. That was set up back in 2001 to combat growing concerns regarding the irresponsible advertising of pets for sale, rehoming and exchange, and, again, that was something that was highlighted to me probably at the beginning of the pandemic as we realised people were indeed buying—we saw a huge increase in the number of people buying dogs, in particular. People really need to think hard about the commitment involved in pet ownership, and it's really important to say—and it's a great opportunity to be able to say this again—a new pet should be sourced responsibly.