MORE dogs are being abandoned before Christmas in Scotland than are being dumped afterwards, according to rescue charities.
Animal welfare workers say they are seeing increasing numbers of animals being brought in or left on the streets in the weeks before Christmas as owners struggle to find the time for pets among festive preparations.
Miserable weather and money problems have also been blamed for the rise in dumped dogs before December 25.
Two weeks ago, three Dalmatians were found wandering the streets in the west of Scotland and have since been taken in by one rescue charity, with staff naming them Jingle, Belle and Oreo.
The Dogs Trust, which coined the famous slogan, “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas”, has seen dogs disowned for eating the Christmas dinner in advance, destroying presents or becoming too time consuming.
Staff at rescue centres in Dumfries and Perthshire say they are swamped before Christmas too with Perthshire Abandoned Dog Society seeing a surge in their numbers this year.
Joanna High, an assistant manager at PADS, based in Forteviot, said: “Despite the stereotype of dogs being abandoned after Christmas, it’s more of a problem beforehand.
“We’ve seen an increase in dogs and requests to take dogs this year, as well as requests coming from far outside our area – something that we haven’t noticed before.
“As dog owners, we appreciate that walking your dog on a cold, damp night is not a lot of fun but it’s alarming that the reasons for most of the dogs coming in is ‘We don’t have time for them’.” At the Dumfries and Galloway Canine Rescue Centre, manager Fiona Clarkson said the problem has always been more severe before Christmas, but in the past two years a new problem has emerged – people using social media to offload their unwanted pets.
Fiona said: “Up until two years ago. I would say it is before Christmas we get all the dogs dumped. It is still happening, dogs are still being abandoned or given up, but we are maybe not getting them all in to us until after Christmas when all the Facebook rehomings have gone wrong.
“We are still getting the same number of calls asking to take dogs, but they don’t turn up.
“When we ask why, they say they managed to find the dog a home themselves. People are sticking them on Facebook thinking they can do a successful rehoming but they are not giving all the facts.”
At Dogs Trust Glasgow rehoming centre, staff have seen a 40% rise in dogs coming to them during the festive season, with many dogs arriving before Christmas, including the three Dalmatians.
Claire Cairney, assistant centre manager at the Dogs Trust Glasgow, said: “We had a dog come in for eating the turkey the day before Christmas, and for destroying presents.
“I will always remember at the West Calder Dogs Trust centre somebody turned up on Christmas morning with a black Labrador puppy that they didn’t want.
“It had been a surprise gift and ended up with us on Christmas Day.
“In the summer time, you want to be outside walking your dog but at this time of year it’s cold and miserable, so you’re maybe less inclined to take your dogs out.
“Then they become more frustrated in the home and a bit more difficult to manage.
“At Christmas time you have different things to think about – money, time constraints, and possibly having a dog just starts to fall lower down your list of priorities.
“Then it becomes more likely that you are looking for somewhere to take your dog or put them out on the streets.”
Claire said keeping dogs’ brains active can be just as effective as lengthy exercise, by using chew toys and treats hidden in discarded present boxes as cheap ways to keep them occupied.
While the overall number of dogs being brought to the centre has fallen between 2014/15 and 2016/17, those coming in December and January increased – from 50 in 2014/15 to 70 in 2016/17.
Meanwhile, authorities fear more pedigree puppies than ever are flooding into Scotland from overseas in time for Christmas.
Officers at the Scottish SPCA say the illegal trade shows no signs of abating despite the high-profile campaign to counter it.
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