The charity Dogs Trust has issued an appeal after an 'alarming' number of surrender requests this year.
It has also released upsetting CCTV footage of a confused dog being tied to a tree with washing line outside their re-homing centre in Finglas, north Dublin.
Pudsey, a Jack Russell Terrier, then looks back and tries to follow the man as he disappears around the corner.
Head of operations at Dogs Trust, Karla Dunne, said: "A staff member spotted a small dog tied to a tree, just outside the gates to our re-homing centre.
"The man could have brought him into our centre where there were staff there to attend to him immediately, but instead he chose to abandon him, frightened and confused beside a very busy main road until someone spotted him.
"When our veterinary team examined the dog, they found he had severe dental disease, alopecia and red marks on his forelegs from licking at them which we think may be behaviorally linked as x-rays on the areas showed no abnormalities.
"Due to the dental disease, poor Pudsey had to have four teeth extracted but thankfully this won't affect his ability to eat and the little fella is recovering well from his ordeal."
The organisation says it has received over 1,900 surrender requests since January.
It is urging people to think carefully before getting a dog.
The most common reason provided for someone wanting to give up their dog was that they did not have enough time anymore.
As part of a campaign, Dogs Trust will be launching a new TV advert - which features a puppet dog who brings to life the message behind its famous slogan 'A dog is for life, not just for Christmas'.
Executive director Becky Bristow said: "Dogs Trust coined the phrase A Dog Is For Life, Not Just For Christmas over 40 years ago and we are still urging people to think carefully about the type of dog they want in terms of behavior not just looks and to be extremely selective about whom and where they source it from.
"It is vital that people undertake as much research as possible to ensure they obtain a healthy, responsibly bred dog and to avoid impulse buying at the 'click of a mouse'."
