Pets face grim fate in the pound
EACH year, irresponsible pet owners dump their unwanted family pets through pound doors, convincing themselves there will be a happy ending for their rejected pet.
But sadly that is rarely the case.
The Southern Downs Regional Council local laws officer painted a grim picture of the fate that pets dumped over Christmas would be likely to meet.
"If people put dogs in the pound over Christmas, they will be put down," she said.
While many people think abandoned pets at Christmas are unwanted gifts, the officer said it was more likely a family pet that became an inconvenience when the allure of holidays beckoned.
"It always happens at this time of year and mostly, I think it is because people want to go away and they have nowhere to put the dog," she said.
The officer said what made the animals' plight even sadder was that the dogs were often left with a toy or blanket.
"I think that makes it worse because you see at one time they were loved," she said.
Last year a shocking 27 dogs filled the cages on Christmas Eve and devastatingly, 17 of the dogs were put down in one day.
For anyone who is considering making the huge decision to give their children a pet for Christmas, adopting a pet from the pound is an option. To see a list of animals impounded at the pound now, visit www.southerndowns.qld.gov.au/page/Council_Services/Cats__Dogs/Impounded_Animals.
Costs vary from dog to dog, depending on whether they have already been desexed or microchipped.
