Hi guys!
It's Nicole and Albert here form Relax My Dog.
We're here every week answering all of your doggy related questions.
Now we really hope that you had an amazing Christmas, we did didn't we Albert?
Albert was very spoilt.
Unfortunately the Christmas period isn't as happy an ending for many many dogs across
the world.
Many parents envision a Christmas morning with a cute little puppy dancing over all
of their children's presents and making it a Christmas morning that they are never going
to forget.
Unfortunately the ending for many of these dogs given as Christmas presents is not as
happy as that sounds.
Unfortunately the majority of people who buy a puppy for Christmas are under informed and
unprepared for a dog.
they don't realise the amount of time it takes to train them, and the amount of money it
takes to keep them, so within a few months when the child has unfortunately lost interest
in the animal, many are given to shelters.
Many charities report a massive surge in the number of dogs being abandoned in the three
months after Christmas.
This means that in the US alone up to 4 million dogs are abandoned, and in the UK the number
is around 130 thousand dogs.
Unfortunately this means that in the UK one healthy, adoptable puppy or dog is put down
every hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
This is due to overpopulation, and this is mainly to do with breeding dogs.
Unfortunately when a child does lose interest in an animal, most of these parents are going
to abandon them.
This means giving them up to overpopulised shelters, where as I say the likelihood is
they are going to be euthanised.
Or to pass them on to a series of different homes which does unfortunately provide many
emotional scars and behavioural issues for dogs.
I've got the perfect example of this with my little Albert.
He was bought as a present for a child and unfortunately they didn't realise the amount
of care and attention that they would need to give to that dog, and with three children
already that family just couldn't look after him.
They couldn't give him the time that he deserved.
This does mean that Albert now has a few different issues.
He's not very good with children, he tends to bark and nip people when he first meets
them, and he's not very trusting.
He's getting so much better since I have had him, I've had him since he was five months
old and he's now nearly a year and a half.
So he is getting better but it does take a lot of work and a lot of time as well.
And unfortunately many of these families with children just don't have the time that a dog
deserves.
So with the number of dogs being abandoned increasing year on year especially around
Christmas time, we're here to urge you to go to your local shelter.
Adopt a dog, make sure they don't get euthanised and to stop buying from puppy mills or puppy
breeders.
With so many beautiful, loving dogs desperate to find loving homes - maybe you could just
save their life?
It's definitely been worth it for me, and I wouldn't change Albert for the world.
Please do go to your local shelter and have a look at the dogs there, there might just
be one that's perfect for your family, and it could be the perfect start to the new year
and make 2017 the most special yet.
We really hope that you enjoyed today's video, if you did please do give us a big thumbs
up and if you haven't subscribed already then please do now.
We'd really love to hear of your adoption stories.
You've heard mine, so I would love to hear yours, so please do leave those in the comment
section below, and if you have any ideas for next weeks video then please do leave them
there as well.
We always love hearing from you, don't we Albert?
But
that's it from us for this week, so from me and a hiccup filled Albert, we'll see you
again next week!
bye!