Every year, we hear the same slogan “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas” and the message doesn’t just apply to people buying canines. It goes for cats, rabbits, ferrets, hamsters and any other pet that happens to be purchased as a present or last-minute treat for the family.
The sad truth is, despite the numerous pleas from animal welfare charities, creatures continue to be abandoned or found malnourished and neglected, and the early months of the year are when these “mistakes” really stretch the resources of organisations caring for them.
In 2009 the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ centres across the country cared for more than 14,200 creatures and, until November 2010, 11,886 had passed through its doors.
The Angus, Fife and Tayside Rehoming Centre is located at Petterden, just outside Dundee and, up until November, they had taken in 62 dogs, 119 cats and 110 rabbits as well as other animals.
The centre is fairly small in comparison with others in Scotland, with six dog kennels, six cattery spaces and accommodation for 24 smaller animals.
Scottish SPCA inspectors save thousands of domestic, farm and wild animals every year, while vets and staff in wildlife and animal rescue and rehoming centres look after, rehabilitate and rehome thousands more.
Volunteers also play a key role working with animals, supporting education programmes and fund-raising.
Centre manager Sharon Comrie said, “At this time of year, we always say the same things, but we have to make sure people understand the problems associated with buying a pet at Christmas.
“Any baby animal is really cute and appealing, but they grow up that quickly. A week-old puppy isn’t quite the same at 16 or 17 weeks, especially when it’s in destruction mode.”
Dogs are undoubtedly popular, and are also one of the most challenging to look after, but they aren’t the only ones that end up being neglected or abandoned.
Sharon said, “Rabbits are becoming a very big problem all our centres across Scotland are facing the same issue.
“People go into pet shops and they get a starter pack it’s a small hutch, the bunny is tiny and it’s cute. Within four or five months that wee bunny could be a substantial rabbit and the hutch isn’t any good.
“It’s very expensive to go out and buy a new hutch and so a lot of people abandon them.”Ferret popularityShe added that because animals like rabbits are perceived as being “wild” many people think setting them free is a solution to their problems. But these rabbits are domestic and they aren’t born to fend for themselves.
The food out there that wild rabbits eat won’t necessarily appeal to a domestic rabbit they would normally forage, but they haven’t a clue how to do that.
Sharon said, “Wild rabbits can also be very territorial and they will kill another rabbit because they know right away it shouldn’t be in their territory.
“Ferrets are also becoming more popular. Originally, they would only be kept by people who worked them, such as game keepers and pest controllers.
“Now they are becoming pets and they make great pets – but you have to put in a lot of work. If you aren’t handling them on a daily basis, then they revert back to their wild state and start biting.”
She added, “The more you handle any animal, the better they will be and that goes for wee hamsters and rats as well.”
The biggest challenge by far to Petterden’s resources are dogs, because there is limited space for them at the centre.
Sharon said, “If you get 20 hamsters brought in, you can always find a place to put a hamster cage, but if you get 20 dogs and you’ve only got six kennels then you just can’t take them, so they are harder to house.”
Sharon says there are a few simple things to take into account when weighing up whether to get a dog or any other animal, for that matter. Think about the size of the animal, the amount of exercise it will need and how much time you feel you can devote to it.
She said, “You do get people who take on too big a dog for their needs, perhaps they’ve got a small flat and they get a heavy retriever and it takes up most of the space in the living room.
“Again, when it’s a wee puppy, people think they can cope with it, but when it gets to towering above the coffee table and banging into the television with its tail, it’s a different story.”
She added, “There is also the financial aspect. The bigger the dog, the more expensive it is on everything – not just feeding, but also veterinary bills.
“It is amazing the amount of people who don’t think about what will happen if they go on holiday or they need to go away for the weekend. It is quite expensive to put them into kennels, and kennels won’t take dogs unless they have been fully inoculated.”
It is hard to believe people are capable of treating animals so callously, especially at this time of year.
In December three six-week-old rottweiller puppies were discovered abandoned in a box and left for dead in freezing conditions on the west coast and taken in by the Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre.
Abandoning an animal is an offence and anyone found guilty of doing so can expect to be banned from keeping animals for a fixed period or life.
Unbelievably, Sharon says people often get rid of their old dogs to make way for new pets. Glasgow has one of the biggest problems with this thankfully, it doesn’t happen so much in Tayside.
Sharon said, “It’s shocking, but they do this. It’s a trend that has been going on for the last six or seven years people will throw out their older dog, aged nine or 10 upwards.
“It’s a case of that person ‘must have’ another dog, especially with breeds that are the new craze, like labradoodles and cockapoos.
“Animals can be demanding and frustrating at times but, if you make the decision to have one, then you’ve got to stick by it and provide as much happiness and veterinary care as you can give.”
She added, “That said, there are a lot of good pet owners out there. It’s a shame that everybody goes on about bad dog owners.”
The centre is also incredibly busy over the festive holidays because it purposely stops rehoming young animals during this time.The Courier’s helpSharon said, “We stop homing all puppies and kittens etc from December 21 to January 3 to encourage people to really think about their decision over the festive period.
“It’s not a good time of year, you’ve got your tree up, you’ve got guests coming in, you’ve got crackers banging and wee bits of toys lying about all over the place. Even with a hamster in a cage the chances are there will be cousins or friends in who all want to hold it.
“An older animal we would rehome, if it is a quiet household and there’s not a lot of kids coming in and out.”
Two Christmases ago, Sharon was seeking a home for a nine-year-old German shepherd/husky cross called Locky, who had been at Petterden for three months.
She was worried the big, loveable pooch might have been overlooked because he was older but, after The Courier highlighted Locky’s plight, it wasn’t long until the right family came along.
By New Year, he was with owners Michael and Judith Meaden of Kinross and he proved the perfect pal for their 10-month-old German shepherd Ella.
The couple recently got in touch with Sharon to say they couldn’t believe two years had passed since Locky had become part of their family, and they sent a photo of him enjoying the snow.
This merely goes to show there can be hope for rescued animals. Sharon says the centre will never put a healthy animal down and will always try to find them the best home.
She said, “Our centre is open throughout the holidays. We were open on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and will also be open this weekend [New Year]. If people see an animal they like, they can reserve it, and it can be collected after January 3.
“We always advise that if a family really has its heart set on a puppy and they are picking it up after the new year then what they can do is buy the children the collar, lead, the bed and the book about it and they can really look forward it.”