Dogs Trust have announced that they are going to suspend adoptions over the Christmas period.

Up to 30 percent more people want to give up their dogs in January compared to the rest of the year, according to statistics compiled by the charity. 897 of the 2,840 surrender requests received during 2018 were during the first three months of the year. Most people said that they didn't "have enough time" to look after their dog anymore. Dogs Trust said that they wanted to, ahem, "paws" the adoption of dogs over the festive period so people could reflect on whether they actually wanted a dog or not. Executive director at Dogs Trust, Suzie Carley, said that the centre are "saddened and worried" every year by the number of people looking to surrender their dog in January. She said:

"Dogs Trust coined the phrase ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’ 40 years ago this year, and sadly it is still as relevant today as it was then. "We hope that by spreading this message that it will encourage people to wait and consider adding a dog to their family in the New Year instead, when the festivities have died down."

She also added that Dogs Trust will not be able to take surrender dogs from everybody as they "need to prioritise taking in dogs from the Local Authority Pounds around Ireland as these dogs are at risk of being put to sleep." Dogs Trust's last rehoming day of the year will be December 16 with adoptions starting again on January 5 2019. However, the rehoming centre in Finglas will remain open so people can still visit the dogs and decide whether they want to adopt in January.