The decision to take on an animal should be one for the whole family, even though parents have to take ultimate responsibility. Many people don't understand this and as a result dogs suffer

To a dog, the quintessential companion animal, abandonment is itself a form of cruelty. Intentional cruelty makes the headlines, but ignorance and indifference can be just as deadly. It's sad and ironic that at a time when a thousand unwanted dogs are destroyed everyday, puppies should be mass produced to satisfy people's desire for something cuddly. A dog requires hundreds of pounds worth of food a year. It needs to be walked for thousands of miles in a lifetime.

So before you buy a puppy as a present this year, ask yourself "Am I really prepared to take care of it for the rest of its life?"