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Please Don’t Buy a Puppy this Christmas

Each year between the beginning of December and the end of January, DAWG is inundated with unwanted dogs. Typically people want an old or poorly trained dog out of the house before relatives arrive for the holidays; from Christmas day onwards we get calls to collect endless numbers of puppies given as gifts who end up being inconvenient and unwanted.

Unfortunately for this year’s rejects, we cannot take in any more puppies. Every foster home we have is full. We’re appealing to the public to help us spread education about why families should think twice before buying a puppy this Christmas:

1. Puppies are messy. Training a puppy not to soil in the house can take from four weeks to four months (or longer!) Pups need to be taken out every hour or two while they are learning to toilet outside, including overnight trips. Even with the most vigilant training, there will be many, many accidents along the way.

2. Puppies need constant attention. Each puppy DAWG takes in goes to a carefully selected foster carer who is home full-time, at least until they’re old enough to be left alone for a few hours. Even a crated or gated puppy cannot be left alone for a full working day.

3. Puppies are destructive. They pull down the tree, piddle and poop on the floor, eat shoes and handbags, swallow small toys, shred pillows, and are generally adorable little bundles of complete chaos.

4. Puppies are expensive. A puppy requires at least three vet trips for vaccinations, plus worming, plus spaying or neutering, plus legally-required microchipping. Typical veterinary costs for a puppy will run €300-550 in the first 6 months — and that’s before you’ve bought food, toys or bedding!

5. Puppies can come at a terrible cost. Ireland is rife with irresponsible and unscrupulous breeders more concerned with profit than the health or welfare of their animals. Female dogs are often bred relentlessly in inhumane conditions. Many puppies sold at Christmas come at the price of their terrible suffering.

Despite all this, without a doubt raising a puppy brings tremendous joy and fun to a home prepared for the time, cost and commitment that bringing up a well cared for dog requires!

At DAWG, we are committed to finding these kinds of life-long homes for every dog we take in so we don’t adopt our dogs and pups out between 14 December and 5 January. But if your family is interested in adding one of our wee ones to your home in the new year, we’d love to help you make the perfect match!

Some of the many puppies in foster:

If you’d like to make a holiday donation online or by text to help us care for the many pups in our foster homes over Christmas, we’d be very grateful for your generosity. Thank you.