Dogs Trust Wants You To Give Socks, Not Dogs This Holiday Season

Lori Ennis
by Lori Ennis
While many a puppy may be on holiday lists this year, a staggering amount of adopted dogs are returned after the Christmas holidays. Dogs Trust wants to help educate gift givers to this heartbreaking problem.


A puppy under the Christmas tree… cutest thing ever, right? Not necessarily the wisest thing to do–bring a dog into your family at such an already hectic time of the year. Sadly, last year in the UK, over 3,400 people called animal rescue shelters in the 30 days after Christmas to inquire about returning the dogs they adopted as holiday gifts.


That’s right…approximately 115 people a day wanted to return their dogs.


Often, new owners are simply not prepared for the needs of a dog, and give in to the whimsy and ‘fun’ of a puppy at Christmas. Then, when the reality of what dog ownership really means sets in, new owners look to give them back, leaving the poor pups confused and homeless.


Related: 7 Sparkling Safety Tips For A Dog-Proof Christmas Tree


This holiday season, Dogs Trust, the largest animal welfare group in the UK, is changing its name to Socks Trust in hopes of encouraging people to reconsider holiday gift selections and this holiday season. The organization has a fun and festive line of socks that can be purchased and all profits raised from the socks purchases will help care for the over 16,000 dogs in Dogs Trust’s care.


The return of pets adopted for holiday gifts is an ongoing and annual problem, as every year more than 1,000 unwanted dogs are turned into one of Dogs Trust’s 20 rehoming centers in the weeks that follow the holiday season. Dogs Trust’s poignant and memorable slogan, ‘A Dog is for life, not just for Christmas,’ never rings more true than during the actual holiday season itself, with Dogs Trust the go-to place to give puppies wearing on new owners’ nerves back.


Dogs Trust CEO Adrian Burder acknowledges that buying a puppy for the holidays is an exciting event that carries many memorable emotions with it. The problem is that in all the emotional excitement, little attention to what owning a dog actually entails is paid, and pets are often abandoned after as unwanted Christmas gifts.


Related: Stars Come Out To Help Bulldogs During The Holidays


Socks Trust hopes that their campaign will encourage gift-givers to really think through the purchase/adoption of a dog and suggests a safe and cozy pair of socks that are so fabulous, no one will want to give back! The socks were inspired by some sweet pups who were abandoned or left during holiday seasons of years past, and with the help and care of Dogs Trust, have been able to regain the lives they were meant to live.


Socks Trust would love to see your Socks Trust socks, but they also support any socks given instead of a dog, and would love you to share your images on social media with the hashtag .

Lori Ennis
Lori Ennis

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