'Torchwood' Star Endorses Canine Christmas Message
'Torchwood' Star Endorses Canine Christmas Message
John Barrowman ('Torchwood', 'Doctor Who', 'How do you solve a problem like Maria?') visited Dogs Trust West London Rehoming Centre this week to lend his support to the charity's message "A dog is for life, not just for Christmas®".
The run-up to Christmas and the period afterwards is one of the busiest times for the charity; with the number of dogs handed in, or found as strays massively increasing. It's not just puppies who are the casualty of Christmas as in some cases, the number of old dogs handed in to the charity doubled over the festive season, and between 2002-2005 over 1,000 old dogs were abandoned over Christmas.
Dogs Trust Chief Executive, Clarissa Baldwin, who coined the popular phrase, commented.
"In our society, it is often the very old who are the most vulnerable over the festive season. It is the same with dogs. Sadly, in the run up to Christmas and in the New Year, the proportion of old dogs we take in to our care significantly rises compared to other times of year.
While we cannot forget the message of not buying puppies as presents, which sadly still goes on, it is also important not to neglect our old aged dogs too, who are at greater risk of being abandoned at this time of year. We beg people to consider the commitment needed to care for your pet for its whole life."
The charity urges people to please consider the following:
Owning a dog is a lifetime commitment. The average dog lives for 13 years.
Dogs aren't cheap to care for. You should expect to spend around £8,000 over his lifetime. Puppies can be extremely hard work for an owner, particularly if there are young children in the house - do you have enough time to spend with your pup?
Dogs don't come fully trained. They can cause a lot of damage to your possessions through chewing and accidents. How committed are you to training your dog? Christmas can be a very hectic time of year. This isn't the best time to introduce your new dog to the house.
In an effort to prevent even more impulse purchases during the festive season, all 17 Dogs Trust Rehoming Centres temporarily stop rehoming dogs from 17th December 2006 to 2nd January 2007.
K9 Magazine has been a long standing champion of Clarissa's message and for many years has encouraged breeders to sign up to our Charter for Ethical Breeders. Signatories to the charter agree not to sell or place dogs in homes during the Christmas and new year period, instead, encouraging potential dog owners to come back in the new year to get their dog.
If you would like to support the "A Dog is For life, Not Just for Christmas®" campaign, then please call 020 7837 0006 for your free car sticker and to find out more.
USEFUL LINKS
www.dogstrust.org.uk
K9 Magazine Charter For Ethical Breeding
http://www.k9magazine.com/viewarticle.php?sid=15&aid=1673&vid=0&npage=
John Barrowman ('Torchwood', 'Doctor Who', 'How do you solve a problem like Maria?') visited Dogs Trust West London Rehoming Centre this week to lend his support to the charity's message "A dog is for life, not just for Christmas®".
The run-up to Christmas and the period afterwards is one of the busiest times for the charity; with the number of dogs handed in, or found as strays massively increasing. It's not just puppies who are the casualty of Christmas as in some cases, the number of old dogs handed in to the charity doubled over the festive season, and between 2002-2005 over 1,000 old dogs were abandoned over Christmas.
Dogs Trust Chief Executive, Clarissa Baldwin, who coined the popular phrase, commented.
"In our society, it is often the very old who are the most vulnerable over the festive season. It is the same with dogs. Sadly, in the run up to Christmas and in the New Year, the proportion of old dogs we take in to our care significantly rises compared to other times of year.
While we cannot forget the message of not buying puppies as presents, which sadly still goes on, it is also important not to neglect our old aged dogs too, who are at greater risk of being abandoned at this time of year. We beg people to consider the commitment needed to care for your pet for its whole life."
The charity urges people to please consider the following:
Owning a dog is a lifetime commitment. The average dog lives for 13 years.
Dogs aren't cheap to care for. You should expect to spend around £8,000 over his lifetime. Puppies can be extremely hard work for an owner, particularly if there are young children in the house - do you have enough time to spend with your pup?
Dogs don't come fully trained. They can cause a lot of damage to your possessions through chewing and accidents. How committed are you to training your dog? Christmas can be a very hectic time of year. This isn't the best time to introduce your new dog to the house.
In an effort to prevent even more impulse purchases during the festive season, all 17 Dogs Trust Rehoming Centres temporarily stop rehoming dogs from 17th December 2006 to 2nd January 2007.
K9 Magazine has been a long standing champion of Clarissa's message and for many years has encouraged breeders to sign up to our Charter for Ethical Breeders. Signatories to the charter agree not to sell or place dogs in homes during the Christmas and new year period, instead, encouraging potential dog owners to come back in the new year to get their dog.
If you would like to support the "A Dog is For life, Not Just for Christmas®" campaign, then please call 020 7837 0006 for your free car sticker and to find out more.
USEFUL LINKS
www.dogstrust.org.uk
K9 Magazine Charter For Ethical Breeding
http://www.k9magazine.com/viewarticle.php?sid=15&aid=1673&vid=0&npage=