CHARITY DOGS TRUST received an average of four requests to surrender a dog every day in the period following Christmas.

The charity said it received 89 phone calls and 83 emails from members of the public looking to relinquish their dogs from December 26 to 31 January.

For the second year running, the most common reason provided was the person being unable to manage their dog’s behaviour.

Becky Bristow, Executive Director of Dogs Trust Ireland 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 wits end and want to relinquish their dog.”

In one instance, CCTV footage showed a dog being abandoned at a Dogs Trust rehoming centre.

Blitzen, a male crossbreed was abandoned late in the evening, attached to a long piece of rope. This resulted in him becoming entangled and panicked, creating a dangerous situation for Blitzen and the staff who had to free him.

Karla Dunne, Head of Operations at Dogs Trust Ireland 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.”