The number of puppies being abandoned over the past 12-months has doubled according to worrying statistics revealed by the UK's largest dog rehoming website, DogsBlog.com.

The recession and general belt tightening has been cited as a major cause for the upward trend, however the rapid rise in the number of dogs between the ages of 7 weeks and 12-months of age suggests more dog owners are taking on pets when they are ill equipped to fulfil the lifelong commitment to the animal.