A Co Tyrone dog kennel has hit out at owners dumping their dogs following a surge of Christmas abandonments.
Drumbonaway Dog Kennels and Mid Ulster Rehoming Centre, which is based on the Coagh Road in Stewartstown, has seen an influx in dogs to the centre following the Christmas period, when many get dogs as gifts they can’t look after.
Among the new arrivals to the centre, dogs have been found abandoned in towns across the Mid Ulster area, such as Coalisland, Dungannon, Aughnacloy and Cookstown.
The ultimate goal for the centre is to rehome the stray and unwanted dogs with loving owners.
Nicole Cunningham, a volunteer at the centre, says that an increase in abandonments is a familiar trend at this time of year.
“Nearly every year, without fail, we see an influx of dogs coming in before Christmas time and around Christmas time,” she explained.
“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly, but in our opinion it tends to be breeders that have maybe bred a litter of puppies, have been trying to sell them coming up to Christmas, and whatever is left over is either abandoned or left in the centre.”
Nicole says the aftermath of Christmas poses its own challenges, especially with puppies, which take “a lot more care” than adult dogs.
“People are being irresponsible and just abandoning them. We have no previous background, we know no information on mummy or daddy, we don’t know what breed they area, or if they have had any worm doses.
“All of those factors come into play. Generally any puppy coming into the centre is a bigger strain as you need more disinfectant and more cleaning, which is just all around more pressure on the centre.”
The centre relies on public support and potential owners opting to rehome a dog, rather than getting a puppy from a breeder.
Nicole continued: “There are lots of people out there giving dogs homes. It really does rely on the public and responsible people that come to rehome dogs, instead of going out and buying dogs from breeders.
“We still have so many people that go out and buy dogs from the backyard breeders and we hear so many stories like: ‘I got there and the place was horrible, they did this and that’, but they still give the breeder money into their hands.
“We say adopt, don’t shop, and we’re just trying to drill that into people.
“We have a lot of people that come here and say they want a puppy because they have children – we have puppies. As well as that we have so many dogs that are trialled and tested with children.
“But there are still people buying dogs and paying silly money and as long as they’re doing that, the breeders are going to keep breeding.
“We had a lot of landlords selling up their rented houses in the last year, and people were moving into other rented accommodation which then weren’t allowing pets. I would say that was probably 75% of our dogs that were coming in.”
So how does one become a responsible dog owner? Nicole offers some words of advice.
“We always advise that you come to a rehoming centre. A dog’s not one of those things that you decide today. That’s not responsible dog ownership.
“Think long and hard about it. Rehoming centres are coming down with dogs so just wait until the right dog comes up for you. It might not be today or tomorrow but eventually there will be the right dog for you, instead of going out to buy a designer-bred dog that might not end up even being the breed people have told it is.”
She adds that people should consider their circumstances before taking on the commitment of a dog, which could last over 14 years.
“Some people do come forward responsibly and say they can’t look after the dog anymore because their circumstances have changed or for health reasons. We would rather people do that because it gives us a bit of background on the dog.
“Just think long and hard about it: is a dog going to be suitable? Do I have children? Do I rent or own my house? Am I going to be moving anytime soon? Am I going to be changing jobs? There’s just so much to take into consideration.
“A big thing as well that some people don’t understand is that most dogs live until they are at least 14 or 15 years of age, so you’re taking on a 14-year commitment.
“People don’t realise that you have vet bills, you’re supposed to get your dog vaccinated yearly, wormed and defleaed every few months. They don’t see that side of it and they really should be seeing it.
“You need to budget to have a pet. It’s another member of the family. It costs just as much.”
