Regularly the reasons why some people give dogs up for adoption can be varied, reasonable and, above all, heartbreaking for all involved. But then there are the times when people working in rescue are left speechless, dumbfounded, yet bound by duty to put the welfare of the dog at the forefront of their efforts, so they smile and the accept yet another dog in to the UK’s already overcrowded animal adoption system as they listen to a range of, quite frankly, staggering reasons why yet another dog is seeking a new home.
“He wasn’t a vegetarian” or “didn’t like being dressed up” are some of the latest reasons/excuses cited as Dogs Trust braces itself for influx of unwanted dogs, after receiving a call every five minutes last Christmas
The shocking real reasons people give up dogs have been revealed by Dogs Trust, as the charity braces itself for the post-Christmas influx of unwanted dogs.
Dogs Trust is urging the British public to remember the charity’s iconic slogan ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’ after a year of bizarre reasons offered by people giving up their dog.
Dogs Trust received a call every five minutes (3,596 calls) from people looking to give up their dogs in the month following Christmas last year. Reasons over 2017 included:
* I won a free holiday and I couldn’t take my dogs with me
* I’m a vegetarian but he always wanted to eat meat
* I got him as a secret Santa present
* She was too friendly and wanted to greet every dog and human we met on a walk
* He was panting too much
* He didn’t like it when we played dress up
* She sleeps in her own bed all night – I thought she would want to sleep in my bed
To bring the message home the charity has created a video called “Why I left you” with a twist which highlights the carefree attitude which people sadly display towards dog ownership.
The charity’s iconic slogan has proved just as meaningful today as it was when first coined nearly 40 years ago as a new survey* reveals 20% of dog owners spend less than two weeks researching before buying a dog and 1 in 5 people confessed to buying a dog simply because it was a cute accessory.
The survey also revealed that one in ten people admit to buying or receiving a dog as a Christmas gift. The dog owning public also significantly underestimated the financial cost of dog ownership with 70% believing their dog will cost them less than the actual cost of £10,000 during its lifetime.
Following a staggering 1,000 calls during Christmas week last year from people unable to care for their dogs (200 of these specifically about puppies) Dogs Trust’s network of 20 Rehoming Centres in the UK are bracing themselves as they expect to take in thousands of dogs in the weeks following the festive period.
Adrian Burder, Chief Executive for Dogs Trust, who rehomed abandoned Christmas pup Skipper in 2014, explains: “Dogs Trust take in thousands of much loved dogs from heartbroken owners who sadly find themselves unable to continue to care for their dogs due to unavoidable changes in their circumstances so it’s particularly hard for staff when they see the other end of the spectrum; dogs handed in simply because their owner’s bought them on a whim and consider them little more than toys to be discarded when the novelty wears off.
“We really hope this Christmas is the year our nation of animal lovers finally takes heed of our slogan ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’ and we don’t see dogs discarded because their owners have not considered the lifetime commitment of dog ownership.”
