Christmas pets may have a dog's life, or need a cat's nine

They are cute and warm and fluffy on Christmas morning but they are also abandoned in large numbers after the New Year. Puppies and kittens still appear under the tree despite numerous warnings from pet care professionals.

In an effort to reduce the problem, the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals announced this week that it would not sell any animals until after Christmas.

Pets are sometimes an impulse buy, says Maurice Byrne, chief inspector of the DSPCA. "The problem is that people buying for their kids don't do their homework."

Pets are a big responsibility and should be chosen to suit a home, fed a correctly balanced diet, taken annually to the vet and trained to ensure control, according to numerous advertisements highlighting animal welfare.

Despite the campaigns, many people are too caught up in the holiday season to consider the decision carefully. "Everybody's home for Christmas and then they go back to work and school and the pet goes out the back in the cold weather and starts yelping. Then the neighbours are complaining and the family come home and say it's the wrong choice. Then the puppy goes back, or they dump him," says Mr Byrne.

The cost and daily responsibilities of pet ownership are other important factors. "They don't think about the feeding, the kennel, the vet expenses and who's going to clean up after the dog. Sometimes no one will take the dog for a walk in the cold weather so the dog becomes hyper in the back garden and starts tearing clothes off the line."

In the months after Christmas this lack of understanding becomes evident when pets are returned or there is an increase in the number of abandoned animals.

"Last year we sold 3,500 cats and 1,500 dogs. Of those, two of our pets came back and that's two too many," says Mr Byrne. This was despite a strict screening process for potential owners that often includes home visits to check on the animal's progress.

"A pet is a year-long thing, it's not just at Christmas," says Mary Organ, who runs an animal sanctuary in Dungarvan, Co Waterford. "At Christmas they're cute, cuddly and furry but people neglect to think in six months' time that this dog is going to get bigger." Ms Organ has always maintained a policy similar to the DSPCA's throughout December.

Patrick Morrissey, a veterinary surgeon at the Riverside Veterinary Clinic in Dungarvan, has not found this a major problem. "However, we do get it now and again. Recently, for example, there were people going on holidays and they wanted to put their dog to sleep. We kept the dog for them instead." Despite such incidents, Mr Morrissey says, "We get a good few people getting pups for Christmas and they go on to become great family pets. That's a side not publicised."

Mr Morrissey emphasises, however, that potential pet owners should visit their veterinary surgeon to discuss care of a pet, particularly diet, vaccination and ectoparasites.

The unfortunate reality is that many pets bringing Christmas joy are later put down because owners just were not thinking, says Marion Fitzgibbon, president of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"The two worst times of the year are December/January and July/August, when people go on holiday. They're going away and they don't make arrangements for boarding, or didn't realise how expensive it can be."

Ms Fitzgibbon estimates that in December the number of dogs coming into pounds increases by 25 per cent, with some areas experiencing a 50 per cent increase right through February.

In 1996, the most recent year for which figures are available, 25,750 animals were destroyed throughout the State, according to the ISPCA, 14,249 animals were specifically surrendered to be put down, and 15,235 taken from the streets by dog wardens.

"Under the dog control laws, animals are only given five days if they're brought into the municipal dog pound, or through the dog control unit. That five-day period includes the weekend," says Ms Fitzgibbon. Many voluntary shelters have a policy not to destroy animals.

"Dogs should never, ever be abandoned. It's always better to bring them to a welfare or dog control unit. Some organisations will even help owners with spaying," says Ms Fitzgibbon.

"We're asking people to think, think very seriously. The first thing these animals need is people's time and their love."