Cork charity warns to be wary of buying Christmas pups

A LONG-STANDING animal welfare charity has warned people to be wary of buying pups ahead of the festive season.

Cork DAWG volunteer Maire O’Sullivan said people who are thinking about getting a dog should wait until after the Christmas period.

Ms O’Sullivan highlighted that rescue charities stand down their rehoming services around December and recommended that anyone who was thinking about getting a puppy or a dog, waits until January to do so.

“Wait until January, we will be inundated with an influx of unwanted puppies looking for new homes. It’s just a few weeks, wait.”

The DAWG volunteer said that if a family or person is decided on getting a young dog for Christmas, one of the first things to do is to take it to a vet and get it checked to ensure it is healthy.

“There are two extreme situations that can occur when people get pups for Christmas, one the puppy parent is very busy and doesn’t have enough time for the animal or alternatively, there are kids playing with the puppy all the time and it becomes over-stimulated which can lead to nipping or fatigue.”

In the second situation, the young animal can have trouble adjusting to being alone when everyone returns to work, a lot like pandemic puppies, Maire explained.

Cork DAWG was founded in 2007 and looks after abandoned, abused and ill-treated dogs in Cork. DAWG volunteers will be selling a range of branded Christmas cards, calendars, dog stockings and dog treats at the Marina Market on Friday and Saturday for the next two weekends.

Today and tomorrow as well as December 10 and 11, the charity will have a stand at the popular marketplace where people can pick up some festive items while contributing to a worthwhile cause.

Maire said everyone is very welcome to pop by and say hello and promised there would be some friendly dogs available for petting and pics at various times of the day.

“The money raised will go towards vet bills, they are the biggest overhead we have and every little helps.”