One third of dogs rehomed in Dublin are pedigree

More than a third of the dogs given new homes by the DSPCA in the past year were pedigree breeds — a figure described as an “all-time high”.

According to figures released by the animal charity, 35% of the more than 1,600 such animals were pedigree dogs. It warned that many illicit puppy traders would shortly be offering “ready for Christmas” puppies on a variety of internet sites.

Speaking at the launch of its “Adopt a pet don’t buy” Christmas campaign, DSPCA chief executive Brian Gillen said the increase in abandoned pets was due to the downturn in the economy.