Animal welfare - Think twice about gifts

THERE are few animals as seductive as a puppy or a kitten in a pet shop basket a weekend before Christmas.

Equally, there are few things as sad as a young dog or cat dumped near a town or a city in the early weeks of the new year. These frightened, often starving, young animals are guilty of nothing more than being bought by the wrong people who live in the wrong place.

This week’s seizure at Dublin Airport of 78 species destined for pet shops shows that our appetite for the exotic and unsuitable is as strong as ever.