Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter rehoming on hold over Christmas to ensure pets find forever home

Animals at Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter will spend Christmas there to avoid them being rehomed at a time of year filled with distractions. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

An animal shelter has put rehoming on hold over Christmas to clamp down on four-legged gift-giving and to give would-be pets the best chance at finding their forever home.

Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter is shut to visitors until January when there will be fewer distractions for the animals to get used to as they settle into life with their new family.

Jill Neary, from the shelter, told ITV Tyne Tees: "Christmas is a funny time for all of us. There is a lot more happening - it's busy, there's people, there are families visiting.

"Typically your home environment changes quite substantially over that period and absolutely the best way we can introduce an animal into the home is a nice, calm and controlled manner that they are going to be used to.

"So we just think it's best that they stay here where they know and then in the New Year when everything starts getting back to normal they can go into the home and meet their family before meeting their wider family."

The shelter has also encouraged those planning to give a pet as a Christmas gift to think twice due to the sacrifices that need to be made by those homing an animal.

"Sadly we still get a lot of people, with all the best intentions, who think it is a good idea to get people a gift like a little kitten or something like that for Christmas," she added.

"But everyone who is going to be involved in the care of something like that needs to understand what's coming."

In the meantime, those at the shelter are hoping the public can show their generosity by way of donations to the charity at what is a tough time of year.

Chris Bray, the shelter's chief executive, said: "It's a challenging time for the centre. All of our money comes through the local community and we get no local support so they are tough times.

"We know the cost of living crisis does affect people in terms of donations but people are very kind. We need roughly £25 a day to look after a dog and £15 to look after a cat."

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