Old adage that dogs are not just for Christmas but for life, still rings true

Dundalk is not alone in having a dog problem. No it’s not just the problem of dogs doing their business on the public streets and their owners not clearing up the mess.

It is more to do with unwanted dogs for we heard last week from the director of Dundalk Rescue that they are full up, and therefore unable to take any more unwanted pets.

Sadly it is the same all over the country, for last year upwards of 7,000 people sought to relinquish the dog. This was the highest number ever recorded in a year.

Nor is Ireland alone in facing this trend for every day dogs are abandoned, left alone on the street, in vacant properties or in remote areas some in the most cruel of circumstances.

Why then to people abandon their dogs, or want rescue services to take responsibility for their pets ?.

Well there are number of factors involved, including no longer having time for the animal, a lack of experience or knowledge of looking after the dog, children becoming bored or disinterested in the dog they hounded their parents to acquire, behavioural issues caused by lack of training, and finally financial costs that many do not fully appreciate when they acquire a dog that needs to be fed, gets sick which incurs veterinary costs which can be considerable.

The time factor is a very common reason for owners asked a pet shelter to take their dog for they feel that they have not enough time to take care of their pet, for a dog needs to be fed, walked, let out in the garden, have their litter tray changed, taken to the vets, trained and socialised.

It is also unfair to leave a dog alone for long periods of time for they need human company, and this obviously impacts on the owner’s lifestyle.

Many owners also forget about holidays, for in most cases they cannot take the dog, and if they do not have relatives to take care of the animal a week in kennels can be more costly than the price of an air fare.

Of course dogs are great company, and that is evident from the manner in which owners look after their pet, and, in some cases, would look after the medical needs of their animal before their own.

But it is good advice given by rescue centres that people should stop and think before acquiring a dog, by asking themselves if they had the time, and are they prepared to spend that time in caring for a dog; if they could afford to keep a dog, and if they get a dog as a pet for their children, are they prepared to take over responsibility for the dog when they children become disinterested.

They are the questions the rescue centres what people to ask themselves, and incidentally they would also like to hear from people who would foster a dog, or better still give a home to an abandoned animal.