Four-legged friend or furry fad?Dogs Trust reveals shocking reasons for dogs being handed into its care

WE all know ‘A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas’, but it seems that many existing dog owners are finding the most bizarre reasons to dump their dogs. From not matching the sofa, to wanting to exchange it for a smaller one, sadly Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, has revealed that dogs of all shapes and sizes are being handed in apparently just for being dogs.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Jan 2013, 12:45 BST

Over the last 12 months, Dogs Trust has cared for over 16,000 dogs and many have been handed in to the charity’s network of 18 rehoming centres in the UK for a wealth of reasons from the ludicrous to the downright strange. Shockingly, someone gave their dog up because he did not look like the one online, a chilling reminder that dogs and pets are increasingly being purchased and sold online with very little thought. With Christmas just past, the charity is now bracing itself for the influx of unwanted ‘presents’ that will also be handed into the already overflowing rehoming centres.

Some of the strangest handover reasons include:

“My dog doesn’t look like what he did on the website”, “The dog keeps barking at butterflies”, “My dog was too old and no longer brought me any joy”,

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“My dog doesn’t match the sofa”, “He wouldn’t fit in my handbag or wear the outfit I bought him”, “My dog doesn’t like me (after 24 hours)”, “He keeps scaring the goldfish”, “The dog gets too much attention” and “He smells, of dog”.

Clarissa Baldwin, Dogs Trust CEO, said: “This year sees the 34th anniversary of Dogs Trust’s iconic slogan ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’ and sadly it’s as true today as when it was first coined. We see a number of dogs handed into our rehoming centres in the days and weeks following Christmas when the appeal of a cute puppy has worn off. It seems that people are still giving puppies as Christmas presents without considering the long term ramifications. Dogs can provide a world of happiness and enjoyment, and we urge anyone considering a new addition to the family to think it through properly and remember that the only place a puppy should be is on the outside of the wrapping paper, not inside it.”

To help prevent people giving dogs as a Christmas present Dogs Trust centres do not rehome dogs between 22nd – 29th December. To find out more about the work of Dogs Trust or how you can get involved please visit www.dogstrust.org.uk

Related topics:Dogs TrustDogs