A dog is for life, not just for Christmas
Abstract
It is believed that over a third of UK households now have a pet dog, and a Dogs Trust study found that dogs are not only considered as companion animals or pets but are also often perceived as family members who ‘complete’ the home and with whom owners form emotional bonds.
Over 40 years ago, Dogs Trust, or The National Canine Defence League as it was known then, coined the phrase ‘a dog is for life, not just for Christmas’. This was in response to the boom in pet shops and people making impulse purchases of puppies to give to family and friends as Christmas presents, resulting in a large number of animals being abandoned in the New Year.
Today, Dogs Trust thankfully no longer sees a spike in dogs being relinquished in January caused by unwanted Christmas presents. However, the charity is experiencing one of its busiest periods in its 130 year history. Last year, Dogs Trust received a record-breaking, and heartbreaking, 50 000 handover enquiries from owners struggling to care for their dogs. Thankfully, this record is unlikely to be surpassed in 2023, but demand on its services is still at incredibly high levels and this is echoed around the animal welfare sector.
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