The DSPCA has urged people to consider fostering a pet over the Christmas period.
Christmas is always a busy time for the animal charity and this year they are coping with a “huge increase” number of surrender requests.
It means they are more dependent on animal foster parents than ever.
“It basically means that more animals can be cared for by the charity,” DSPCA spokesperson Gillian Bird told Newstalk Breakfast.
“So, a lot of the animals that come into us need a fair bit of extra TLC.
“Some of them will be too young to be vaccinated, some of them would be nursing Mums or dogs and cats that are about to have babies.
“It’s always great to get them out of the shelter environment and into a home environment.
“It also cuts down on the likelihood of them catching diseases.”
10 year old Dorothy is finding shelter life a little stressful… can you offer her a loving home? Visit 👉🏼 https://t.co/V4h9P4xNOq#cat #adoptme #dspca #BeAGoodHuman #Christmas pic.twitter.com/Nm8mr91Sbn
— DSPCA (@DublinSPCA) December 17, 2023
Ms Bird said life in a home is a better environment than a shelter for a pet, adding that foster families usually enjoy the experience as well.
“A lot of people who foster animals for us, especially over the Christmas period, they’re not pet owners themselves and they’re doing it for the first time,” she said.
“They have time over the Christmas period and what they’re really trying to do is to see how an animal would fit into their lives.
“A lot of people use the fostering as a trial basis to see what it would be like to have a pet in their house.”
Some foster parents realise pet ownership is not for them, while others decide they want to become full-time pet owners.
“A lot of our fosters actually do adopt the animal,” Ms Bird said.
“We jokingly call them ‘failed fosters’ because they failed at their job at fostering and giving the animal back - which is great.”
Love and care
Other animals are not so lucky and Ms Bird said many require a bit of extra love and care before they are ready for adoption.
“A lot of the animals developed mild issues [before they were handed into the DSPCA],” she said.
“Also, it’s so important to us that we get the right home for the animal; we don't want them going to a home and going, ‘This hasn’t worked out.’
“Especially some of the cruelty cases, they require a bit of extra work from us.”
According to the CSO, 52% of Irish people own a pet, of whom 87% said it has a positive impact on their mental health and well-being.
Main image: Dog jumping. Picture by: Alamy.com
