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Unwanted pets kicked out for Christmas

Jan 4 2009 by Coreena Ford, Sunday Sun

WE’RE just days into the New Year and already animal rescue centres across the region are inundated with unwanted pets.

The four-legged friends shown here are just a handful of the abandoned animals — some of them dumped unceremoniously on the streets over Christmas — who want to find new homes in 2009.

It has already been recognised that the North is one of the worst regions in the whole country for cruelty to animals, with RSPCA officers taking more than two people a week to court for mistreating their pets.

And only last week the leading animal charity issued an appeal after a severely emaciated Neopolitan mastiff was found wandering the streets of Newcastle by police.

At the Deerness Boarding Kennels and Cattery, which also runs the Stray Action for Dogs rehoming centre at the same site in Langley Moor, Durham, more than 20 unwanted pups had been brought in over the festive period.

Manager Linda Forsythe wonders if the message that “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas” will ever sink in.

She said: “We’ve had at least 20 over Christmas . . . that’s double the number of dogs that came in last year. We’ve had lots of calls from people who have lost their jobs and can’t afford to keep their pets, and others who just can’t cope with animals.

“A lot of dogs have been found on the streets by dog wardens and brought to us and none of them have been reclaimed.” A depressingly similar picture has emerged at the Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter’s two centres in Claremont Road and Benton Farm.

Leyla Rutter, the shelter’s chief executive, said: “It’s horrendous. Every year we hope it will get a little bit better but every year the story is the same.

“Since December 22 we’ve had 50 new pets handed in — 36 dogs and 14 cats — including puppies, mongrels, even pedigrees like Great Danes.

“Some people actually go away for Christmas and leave their pets in the garage with what they think is enough food, only for them to escape and get brought into us. It beggars belief.”

:: For more information about any of the animals mentioned on these pages, or if you would like to know how you can help the charities involved, please telephone Stray Action for Dogs on 0191-378 0439 or Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter on 0191-215 0435.

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