Dogs Trust urges people not to buy dogs at Christmas but to become a foster carer

With Christmas around the corner, the Dogs Trust is looking for foster carers to look after dogs over the holiday period and is urging people not to buy them as Christmas presents.

Research conducted by the Dogs Trust shows that online searches of the phrase ‘buy a puppy’ increased by 44% from 95,659 to 137,499 a week before Christmas, compared to the yearly average.

“These figures show that people still think to buy a dog in the rush before Christmas. It’s very easy to pick a puppy at the click of a button but dogs don’t come with a gift receipt”, said Dawn Bishop, manager at Dogs Trust Manchester in Denton.

Clare Coleflax and her husband, who recently adopted a cocker Spaniel and retriever from the Dogs Trust, met another woman there who rescued a dog at the same time as them. Now the dog is already back on the website waiting to be rehomed. 

Clare said: “This made me really sad. He had been with her one day before she brought him back. People need to really think about all the pros and cons.

“It took us two years to make our decision but it is the best decision we could have made and makes our family complete.”

“If someone isn’t sure about whether now is the right time to welcome a four-legged friend into their home, we would encourage them to support rescue dogs in other ways such as becoming a volunteer foster carer or sponsoring one of our beautiful dogs”, said Dawn

Phil Scott is a Doghs Trust foster carer  who started fostering dogs over a year ago after his 15-year-old Rottweiler passed away.

He said: “The dogs are fantastic company and to be able to help so many is wonderful. People always ask how can I bear to give them up, but there’s always another one waiting and to see them heading home with new loving families is fantastic.”

Currently 42 dogs in Manchester are looking for a new home.