As many as 172 dog owners tried to surrender their pets after Christmas last year, Dogs Trust has revealed.
Despite the massive increase in the demand for dogs over the past 12 months, the Dogs charity said they received an average of 4 requests to surrender a dog every day in the period following Christmas.
Executive Director of Dogs Trust Ireland Becky Bristow said the charity received 89 phone calls and 83 emails from members of the public looking to give up their dogs from December 26th, 2020 to 31st January 2021.
She said: “We are saddened to see so many people struggling with their dogs’ behaviour and urge all dog owners to attend training classes, such as our online Dog School classes.
"Many issues can be prevented when they first arise, with simple training techniques, but often by the time people contact us, they are at their wit's end and want to relinquish their dog.”
Sadly, the charity also saw another dog tied to their Rehoming Centre gates in Finglas over the Christmas period.
Blitzen, a male crossbreed was abandoned late in the evening, attached to a long piece of rope, which resulted in him becoming entangled and panicked, creating a dangerous situation for Blitzen and the staff who had to free him.
Head of Operations Karla Dunne explained: “We are thankful that most people are continuing to contact us as the last thing we want to see is more dogs like Blitzen being abandoned.
"We are here to help and encourage people to get in touch as soon as they begin to have difficulty with their dog. While we are unable to take in every surrender request, we will do our very best to help.”
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