Prices for dogs soared when lockdown began as people pined for a friendly pooch to keep them company as they were forced to stay indoors.

And despite the country now opening up so people can enjoy longer walks and days out, while still social distancing, the cost of purchasing a pet is still extremely high.

In fact, prices have rocketed for almost all sorts of pets, including other favourites such as cats.

Some people refrain from getting a 'rescue pet' and prefer to get a 'designer dog' which are usually created by cross-breeding one or more breeds to give them desirable characteristics.

The Labradoodle started the phenomenon, but now there are lots of different types including the cockapoo, Cavapoo, schnoodle and Yorkipoo – and they are on the market more than ever at even higher prices.

But some traditional breeds such as the Jack Russell and cocker spaniels have also soared in price, with some sellers even tripling their fees for a pedigree pooch following the increased demand.

In March, a typical English bulldog sold for about £1,600 but now some are fetching £5,000 or more.

So we thought we would take a look and see what dogs are on offer in Kent and checked out the Pets4Homes website to see how much they are going for.

In Sheerness we found one English bulldog puppy on sale for £5,500.

The dog was born in June and is ready to leave for its forever home now.

It comes micro-chipped, wormed, has had its first vaccination and will be checked out by a vet before it leaves.

Also for sale in Sheerness are some American bulldog puppies for £4,500 each.

The seller has three male puppies which are looking for their forever homes and they are seven-weeks-old and the mother and litter can be viewed together and the pups are micro-chipped.

In West Malling a seller has a couple of Cavapoo puppies up for sale at £4,250 each.

Two girls are available for reservation and the seller says the mum, a red pedigree toy poodle, can be seen and the dad is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

They will be ready for their forever homes around the end of September or the start of October.

They come well socialised with children and other dogs and are used to household noises.

Before they are sold they are vet checked, come with a puppy pack, microchipped, wormed and will have had their first vaccination.

In Tonbridge a female Maltipoo puppy is on sale for £4,200.

The puppy has been raised around children and has been handled since it was born.

By the time she is ready for homing at the end of August she would have had her first vaccination.

She is micro-chipped, wormed and has had a health check with a vet and her mum is a Kennel Club registered Maltese terrier and her dad is a red Kennel Club registered toy poodle.

And for the price you pay, you get a large bag of Royal Canin food and four weeks' free pet insurance.

While over in Gillingham several miniature smooth haired dachshunds are for sale for £4,000 each.

The seller says two boys are still available and prospective buyers can go and see the puppies from four weeks old.

The dogs will not leave their mother until they are eight weeks old and will be micro-chipped and would have had their first vaccination by then.

The are Kennel Club registered and come with five weeks' free insurance.

The puppies can be viewed with their mother and the owner says they have been brought up in a loving home with children.

Elsewhere in Snodland two male cockapoo puppies are for sale for £3,300 each.

The seller says both parents can be viewed by potential buyers and the dogs are ready for their new homes now.

They come with five weeks' insurance and will have had their first and second vaccinations.

The dogs are also micro-chipped and have been given flea and worm treatments and are also Kennel Club registered.

A £300 non-refundable deposit can secured and the dogs are fed on dry puppy food.

And finally in Rochester two female blue French bulldog puppies are on sale for £3,500 each.

They were born on July 12 and will be ready to leave their home on September 7.

The mother is a family pet, so can be seen with her puppies before buying.

They are used to noises, young children and other dogs and the seller says mum and dad are from from amazing blood lines.

A £500 deposit secures you one and the pup comes micro-chipped, with five weeks' free insurance, health checks and is wormed.

However, not only has the price of dogs surged since lockdown began, the amount of dogs being stolen has also soared.

National charity DogLost has said pet burglaries on homes and kennels have increased by 65%.

DogLost, which reunites missing dogs with their owners, said it had 48 incidents over the lockdown period of March 23 to June 1 this year, but last year only 29 incidents reported over the same period.

And another animal charity, the RSPCA, encourages people thinking of getting a dog to go to one of its rescue centres to find the perfect family pooch.

An RSPCA spokesman said: "It seems that as demand for pets surges during lockdown so, too, does the price of many popular breeds.

"It's great that so many families want to welcome a pet into their home but we'd urge them to ensure they can commit to that pet long-term and have a plan in place for when lockdown lifts and we return to normal life.

"If you'd like to take on a pet then please do consider adopting from a rescue centre.

"The RSPCA has more than 6,000 animals in our care across the country; different breeds, ages, sizes and personalities.

"We are extremely concerned about where many of the dogs being sold during lockdown have come from, how they've been bred and reared and the conditions they've been kept in.

"Unfortunately we believe there are many unscrupulous people out there exploiting the demand for pets and driving up prices in order to make a quick buck, all at the expense of the animals' welfare."

It is thought on average, people spend between about £5,000 and £13,000 in their lifetime on their dogs.

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.

Read more: All the latest news from Kent