Past experiences have compelled a shelter to urge people to exercise utmost restraint and caution before fetching a dog for gifting this Christmas. Figures released by Dogs Trust Kenilworth of Warwickshire reveal that online hunt for puppies shoots up in the weeks leading to Christmas.
An emotional clip highlights the plight of many dogs gifted for Christmas who end up unwanted at the end of the festive season.
The figure becomes alarming when you consider that in the Midlands and Coventry region alone, 282 people wanted to give up their dogs in January. Dogs Trust has revealed that they receive a call every 6 minutes from new owners who can no longer keep a dog.
With Christmas around the corner, the shelter is urging people to fetch a dog for gifting this Christmas only if they are willing and ready for this onerous task.
Dogs Trust, for instance, runs a foster scheme called Home from Home that arranges temporary shelter for dogs for whom a homestay would be beneficial.
Then there is the program called Sponsor a Dog which enables them to look after particular dogs for as long as they receive support.
The charity analyzed search trends and found that last year online searches with the phrase ‘ get a dog’ or ‘buy a puppy’ showed a significant increase between 27% and 44% over the annual average, a week before Christmas.
Assistant Manager at Dogs Trust Kenilworth, Emma Healey said that these figures prove that people want to fetch a dog for gifting this Christmas. With the advent of the internet, buying a pup is easier too.
And post- Christmas, they are left with the heartbreaking task of looking for a forever home for the rejected previous/senior dogs. People who aren’t sure that they can take care of a pet should begin by supporting rescue dogs. There are other ways, like volunteering as a foster care or even sponsoring one of the many dogs at home.
Many people bring home a dog every year from rescues and if that becomes a burden there are better options than to fetch a dog for gifting this Christmas. Healey hopes that their message that a dog is for life and not just for Christmas is taken in by more people. She is thankful to all those who chose to help these four-legged friends and it is through their care that they can look after them till they reach their forever homes.
