WITH many people out there recieving a furry friend this Christmas, Animals in Need Donegal are preparing for their busiest time of the year.
Animals in Need are a voluntary organisation that help abandoned animals, mainly cats and dogs throughout county Donegal.
Speaking to the Donegal News, Animals in Need volunteer, Jitte McMullan said unfortunately after Christmas every year they see an increase in animals being brought to them.
“After Christmas we also see plenty of it. I have been working with Animals in Need for 14 years and the worst one I’ve seen was parents buying their two year old daughter a Bichon Frise puppy for Christmas. The puppy was given on Christmas day and on Saint Stephen’s Day it was put out to the garden. When the puppy came to us it had a blockage in its stomach because it had eaten one of the baby’s dummys. I can understand a puppy and a kitten is cute but children that age want something they can play with for five minutes and then put back in the press,” she said.
However, it’s not just the gift givers who decide the commitment of looking after a pet is too much, Jitte said they also take dogs from breeders that didn’t get sold out for Christmas.
“People don’t want the responsibility of taking on an animal. Over Christmas it is fine, you’re at home and you can care about these pets. It was the same during lockdown. Once people start getting back into work they realise they don’t have anyone to look after the animal. When people go back to work in January they realise caring for an animal is a long term thing and it isn’t going to work,” she said.
Although Animals in Need are closed over the Christmas period for rehoming, they are open to take animals in.
Animals in Need will re-open on January 10, 2023.
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