Owners give up dogs because 'it doesn't match the sofa'

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-12-16 11:16

Being the wrong colour to match a sofa and even having eyes "like David Bowie" rank among some of the excuses given by dog owners for abandoning their pets, according to a leading animal charity.

Puppies at The Dogs Trust rehoming centre in west London. [Agencies]

Staff at shelters have been left speechless when faced with owners attempting to swap their unwanted pet for a younger model or even a different colour to match a carpet.

Other visitors have handed over unwanted puppies because of minor misdemeanours such as nibbling the Christmas turkey or trying to unwrap presents.

The Dogs Trust has published a list of some of the most inappropriate reasons given by owners for getting rid of their pets as part of its annual Christmas campaign to discourage people from buying dogs as gifts.

Exactly 30 years after it first used its familiar slogan "A dog is for life not just for Christmas", the charity has seen a steep decline in the number of people giving live animals as presents - from 20 per cent of all dogs bought in 1978 to less than 2 per cent now.

But despite the success, the charity said that as many 131,400 dogs are still given away as gifts every year in Britain, with many ending up abandoned shortly afterwards.

One owner even got rid of a dog claiming that it looked "evil" because it eyes were different colours, supposedly making it resemble the singer David Bowie.

The singer is often, incorrectly, described as having different coloured eyes. In fact one of his pupils is permanently dilated because of a childhood injury.

"Some of the reasons we hear for dogs being abandoned are truly outrageous and saddening," said Clarissa Baldwin, the charity's chief executive, said.

"Having a dog is a long-term commitment and our anniversary offers the perfect opportunity to remind people that dogs are not fashion accessories or disposable items that can be upgraded or discarded after just a few months."

Despite the success of attempts to dissuade people from buying dogs as pets rescue groups have reported an "unprecedented" increase in the number of abandoned pets in recent weeks because of the economic crisis.

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London said it was now at "bursting point" even before Christmas intake because of a dramatic rise in the number of stray dogs in London.

New laws which came into force this year meaning that strays must be handed in to councils rather that the police as in the past have also been blamed for the trend.

Confusion over where stray animals should be taken and a shortage of council kennels has left shelters overwhelmed.

It is also feared that many lost pets may be unnecessarily languishing in their shelters because the new laws have left owners unable to trace them.

"We are just over a week away from Christmas and are almost full," Jan Barlow, chief executive of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, said

"While we think part of the rise in numbers of strays is because people can't afford to keep their dogs any more so are dumping them on the streets, we're also extremely worried that people losing their dogs don't where to turn to try and find them."

Here is the top 10 list of most irresponsible reasons for abandoning a dog:

:: "My dog doesn't match the sofa."

:: "The dog looks evil and has different coloured eyes, just like David Bowie."

:: "My black dog doesn't match new white carpet, can we swap him for a white dog?"

:: "My current dog is too old, can we swap for a puppy or younger model?"

:: "My dog ate the Christmas turkey cooling on the worktop."

:: "My pet guinea pig got worried with a dog in the house."

:: "The dog opened all the presents on Christmas Eve."

:: An owner who accidentally knelt in dog mess while cleaning it up brought the dog in the very next day.

:: A puppy bought as a present for elderly couple with dementia.

:: The negative image of Staffordshire Bull Terriers because of their perceived resemblance to Pit Bull-style dogs.