Celebrity handbag dog has had its day

Designer pets need to be found new homes after the public tires of the fashion fad
Fariha Karim
The Times
Figures such as Paris Hilton have helped turn small dogs into fashion accessories
Figures such as Paris Hilton have helped turn small dogs into fashion accessories
PAUL ARCHULETA/GETTY IMAGES
Fariha Karim
The Times

Blame it on the Beckhams. Or Leonardo DiCaprio, Madonna, Reese Witherspoon or almost any number of Hollywood A-listers sauntering down the red carpet with a cute puppy in tow.

Rehoming centres have warned that the fashion for “handbag” designer dogs favoured by celebrities has led to a surge in the number of the animals being dumped.

Over the past two years, centres run by the Dogs Trust, Britain’s biggest dog welfare charity, have reported a 444 per cent rise in the number of tiny yet fashionable pups being taken into care.

Lady Gaga with her puppy Fozzy in Vienna
Lady Gaga with her puppy Fozzy in Vienna
LUCAS/GC IMAGES

French bulldogs are the main victims of the trend. In 2014 the trust held nine of the breed; last year that figure had shot up to 102, a rise of 1,033 per cent.

The