DOGS TRUST WAS contacted as many as 370 times in the month after Christmas by people wishing to surrender their dog.

The charity is known for its ‘a dog is for life, not just for Christmas’ mantra, but it fears many people are ignoring this advice.

Its main rehoming centre is located in Coldwinters, just north of Finglas in Dublin, and operates at capacity – this means that as soon as a dog is rehomed, a new dog is taken from a pound or other situation where they are at risk of being put down. Because of this, many cases where a dog is being surrendered but is not at immediate risk are not accepted.

“However, sadly in the majority of the cases so far this year, the welfare of the dogs found abandoned or surrendered was of such concern,” a statement from the charity read, “that the dogs were admitted for immediate veterinary attention; this has impacted the number of dogs the charity can rescue from the Local Authority Pounds.” 

This includes Tati, and her three puppies Tayana, Tefi and Timoti, who were abandoned at the side of the road.

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