Animal centres face busiest Christmas ever (From Western Telegraph)

Animal centres face busiest Christmas ever

10:35am Tuesday 25th December 2007 in News

Local animal rescue centres are experiencing their busiest Christmas ever as thoughtless owners dump their pets during the festive season.

Centres are already packed full of unwanted animals and volunteers are bracing themselves for a flood of unwanted Christmas presents predicted for the new year.

Yvonne Parkins, of Llanrhian currently has three staffordshire bull terriers and a staffordshire cross boxer looking for responsible homes.

She said: "It's always a bad time for dogs being abandoned, but this is the worst year ever. The frightening thing is that every rescue centre is full now.

"It's part of the problem of a throwaway society. It's often an impulse buy to get a puppy, but they are a lot of work."

Christine Davies rescues and rehomes pets throughout the county as part of the voluntary agency CARA.

She said: "This has been the worst year ever for abandoned dogs.

"It's a nightmare. All the centres are chock-a-block at the moment. I've never known any thing like it in the last 20 years."

Christine has dealt with unwanted cats, dogs, guinea pigs, and even iguanas and snakes, and says she has ended up dreading Christmas because so many pets are abandoned.

She said: "I used to love Christmas, but I don't even bother with decorations any more because I have seen this side of it.

"Families will sit down to Christmas lunch with their paper hats, completely oblivious to the fact that their dog may be sitting in a strange kennel wondering when its owner is coming back.

She added: "Dogs have been thrown out of cars, dumped on mountains and found on river banks. It's not the type of thing we associate with Christmas, or with a nation of animal lovers.

"I dread Christmas now, and the New Year is a horrible time, as it doesn't take long for people to get bored of their new pets."

Many centres refuse to rehome at this time of year, and take great care to match the right dog with the right owner.

Christine said: "Some people treat dogs like accessories, they change the decor in their house and get rid of the dog if it doesn't match, or get sick of vacuuming up hairs.

"So many things are disposable these days. It's far too easy to get a dog, and it's easy come - easy go."