Dog rescue centres are filling up with unsold puppies as people go back to work and the lockdown demand ends.
Ownership of dogs across the UK rose sharply during Covid but is now levelling out as people start heading back to the office.
But breeders have continued to produce puppies at the same rate despite the lack of demand, Wales Online reports.
Friends of Animals Wales, in Ton Pentre, has taken in scores of unsold and abandoned dogs since the end of the puppy pandemic.
Last week they took in seven Cavachon puppies handed over by a single breeder.
The centre's owner, Eileen Jones, said: “We have had lots of unsold pups in.
"You've got all these puppies that were in the pipeline but people have gone back to work and life is back to some sort of normality and there isn't the demand there.
"But these pups were already on their way because it's about 20 weeks from when they're conceived to when they're ready to go because they're sold at around eight to 10 weeks. There are puppies but no market for them."
She said when puppies reach between 12 and 14-weeks-old, they become less attractive to buyers and are at risk of developing behavioural issues if not socialised properly.
The breeders then usually pass the adolescent pups to rescue centres.
Eileen added: "The other thing is we've got the Christmas market coming up so these puppy breeders don't want to be full up with adolescent puppies they can't sell and want room for the eight to 10 week old ones.
"It's a bit of a dumping ground, but one we're happy to accommodate because we know we're giving those pups the best possible future."
The dog centres usually experience a surge of overgrown puppies around February, which are Christmas pooches that couldn't be sold.
But as Eileen says "never ever this time of the year."
Covid lockdown saw dog purchases shoot up, with an estimated 3.2million pets being bought and breeders shooting out pups quickly to meet demand.
Eileen said lne puppy breeder told her: "Everyone's breeding with everything that has a heartbeat."
Breeding and stud dogs, which have been worn out by the surge, are also flooding rescue centres.
The influx has led to available spaces running short.
Dermot Murphy, head of the RSPCA’s animal rescue teams, said: “We are concerned that some people bought a pet on impulse without considering how their lifestyle might change once the pandemic ends.
“The fear is that we will see a surge in abandoned and neglected animals coming into our care."
