DESPITE PERSISTENT APPEALS before Christmas for people not to buy dogs they can’t look after, 186 people have already been in touch with Dogs Trust to surrender dogs.

The figures cover just the first three weeks of 2018 and mark a 22% increase on the same period last year.

The charity launched its #PawsForThought campaign in November last year, where they urged the public to “pause” and think twice before getting a dog for Christmas.

The charity says that in one case PJ, a two-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, was cruelly abandoned at the centre. The distressed dog watched from the car park as a man dropped his lead and drove away. With no other option, PJ was taken into the safety of Dogs Trust and is now looking for his forever family.

PJ is suffering from a lack of confidence which could indicate that he missed out on socialisation in his early life as he is very quiet, spending most of his day in bed and is scared to meet other dogs and play. PJ has now received all necessary medical treatment from Dogs Trust staff.

PJ - a very, very good boy. Source: Dogs Trust

Catriona Birt, Head of Operations at Dogs Trust said the case is particularly upsetting.

“It is painfully upsetting to see PJ, a friendly young dog being discarded in such a heartless way.

“PJ is a particularly sad case which highlights how important those early months are for a pup and how vital it is to make time to socialise and habituate your new arrival in their puppyhood and adolescence. Our care team here are helping PJ with basic training and confidence building, and showering him with love and affection. He is now recovering well from the incident and he is looking for a new family who will love him.”

Dogs Trust operates at full capacity and offers as many places as possible to dogs from Irish pounds, as they are the ones most at risk of destruction. This means that they cannot take dogs surrendered by the public.

However in the majority of the cases so far this year, they were so concerned for the welfare of the dogs surrendered that they admitted them for veterinary attention. This has impacted the number of dogs they can rescue from pounds.