Crawley MP, Henry Smith, a strong animal welfare advocate, has supported a Dogs Trust charity campaign to raise awareness of its annual Christmas campaign. 

At a parliamentary event aimed to highlight the famous Dogs Trust slogan; “A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas” in a bid to combat the problem of dogs being given as gifts at Christmas only to be later abandoned in January, Henry commented:

“I’m really pleased to join ‘Dogs Trust’ in raising awareness about this important issue. It’s vital that dog ownership is seen as a long-term commitment and not just an impulse buy, especially at Christmas time. I know that the dogs’ charity sees an influx of dogs being handed in to their rehoming centres over the Christmas period and that they aim to curb this problem by better educating people on responsible dog ownership and the potential risk of buying pets online on an impulse.” 

Every year, Dogs Trust works to highlight the problems surrounding dogs being given as gifts at Christmas. The online sale of pets means that impulse buying of animals has become an appealing option and the lure of a quick sale attracts many unscrupulous breeders particularly during the Christmas period.

Dogs Trust is the United Kingdom’s largest dog welfare charity and cares for over 16,000 abandoned and unwanted dogs a year through its nationwide network of 18 rehoming centres. For more information about Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, visitwww.dogstrust.org.uk.