Cheltenham Animal Shelter is furious pet owners are treating animals like objects after record numbers were dumped at its doors last year.More than 1,000 dogs and cats were left in 2007 and it has 65 unwanted pets at the moment.Manager Tony Bell fears the number will increase as people get rid of unwanted Christmas presents.From January to November 2007, 752 dogs and 217 cats were left at the shelter. This is up from 649 and 116 in 2006. The number of dogs dumped has now risen to 820 and as space runs out Tony said the shelter will have to make tough decisions about putting animals down.
He said: "You get a lot of old pets dumped before Christmas as people plan to get new animals, and then after Christmas when people get animals they don't want."The next peak is when people go back to school and work and realise how much work is involved in looking after a pet. Then, in April andMay, when the animals reach adolescence and become more of a handful we receive a lot."People treat animals as disposable. Like a toaster or ironing board, when it's no longer what they want they throw it away and buy a new one."Tony said people are open about their reasons for dumping their pets, and rarely have a good excuse."One person said they had their house redecorated and the dog no longer matched, I couldn't believe it. As animal lovers we just can't understand this selfish, heartless mentality," he said"It's got to the point we sometimes refuse to take the animals and make the owner take responsibility."People need to seriously consider years of care and vets' bills."Once an animal's more than three years old it's hard to rehome, and after six, almost impossible."Cheltenham Animal Shelter is a charity. Its annual running cost is £500,000.n Anyone wanting to take on a pet that needs rehousing should call the centre on 01242 523521.
