Rescue me: why Britain’s beautiful lockdown pets are being abandoned

The cats and dogs that helped us through the pandemic are increasingly being dumped in the street or handed over to charities - and shelters are dealing with the fallout

On a cold, steely grey day in a farmyard in Essex I meet Spike. Thick-set, broad-chested, narrow-eyed, he has a look that says don't mess with me", and he has tiny, pointed ears that have been cut to make him look more intimidating.

Spike is an XL bully; bully stands for American bulldog, XL means bred to be bigger. They are fashionable among a certain type of dog owner, says Ira Moss, founder of the rehoming charity All Dogs Matter. We're at its kennels near Waltham Abbey in Essex. XL bullies - along with cuter, more designery", says Moss, French bulldogs, dachshunds, cockapoos and cavapoos - were the top five lockdown dogs". And they are being abandoned like never before. Sadly, it's not just dogs. Animal charities and vets have reported everything from cats to cockerels being left. And they are braced for Christmas to be even busier.