With many people being stuck at home for months on end during lockdown, there was a substantial increase in pet ownership as many rushed to get a furry companion.

But with our lives now returning to normal, the pups are now being returned to the rescue centres and are left searching for a foster home.

Our colleagues at KMTV went to visit the lonely pups

Animal charities across the county have seen an increase in the number of dogs being given up as the reality of life kicks in and the practicalities of owning a pet become apparent.

Jenny Mansfield, Last Chance Animal Rescue said: "A lot of the time it's because people have gone back to work or has become a lot bigger or more bouncy than they were expecting.

"We always get the odd few that come in underweight or stray and then they may have health problems or skin conditions.

"However, in the majority they're just young and boisterous and their owners didn't really think it through during the pandemic."

With an overwhelming number of dogs being taken to the rescue, they're urgently asking for help.

They need willing owners to come forward and foster the lonely canines to ensure that they have enough capacity to continue accepting new arrivals throughout the next year.

At the New Romney site they have 10 dogs searching for their forever homes, including Sasha who is three-year-old French bulldog.

Ms Mansfield added: "We use foster homes when we have very young dogs, elderly dogs or dogs with health problems that need to stay under our care for a bit longer rather than just being re-homed straight away.

"We don't want them to just be sat in a kennel whilst we wait to find them a permanent home."

She continued: "Some dogs, like Sasha, have some ongoing health problems that needed to be treated by us.

"We wouldn't want her to be sitting in a kennel for a few month as we get that treatment sorted.

"We'd rather her go out to a home with someone there to look after her and giver her lots of love and attention."

The perfect candidate to foster a dog will be home for the majority of the day, have no young children and preferably with no other pets.

Foster carers aren't paid but the Last Chance Animal Rescue provides food, equipment and medical care for the dog.

The rescue hope that more people will consider fostering, even if it is just for a short period of time.

If you are interested in fostering a dog from Last Chance Animal Rescue, click here or call 01797 366620.