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| PET GAZETTE | DOGS TRUST
A DOG IS
FOR LIFE…
It’s a slogan that seems as if it has been
around forever, Pet Gazette looks at how
Dogs Trust’s famous Christmas message
is faring on its 40th anniversary in 2018
E
veryone has seen the adverts;
sad and lonely, rejected dogs
cloaked by a grey filter whilst
melancholy yet Christmassy
music plays, before the grand
finale of the iconic line “a dog is for life not
just for Christmas”. It seems the advert and
accompanying slogan have almost become
as much of an indicator that Christmas has
arrived as the reappearance of Slade (also not
just for Christmas), or the jolly Father Christmas
that adorns the back of the delivery trucks of
a popular soft drink manufacturer during this
period. This year the classic slogan of the UK’s
oldest animal welfare charity (having been
founded in 1891) will turn 40 years old
The famous Dogs Trust slogan first appeared
on screens in 1978, and according to Emily
Mayer of the charity, the words came after
former chief executive Clarissa Baldwin was
asked to come up with something “cheap and
cheerful, that really hit home the responsible
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dog ownership message” when working for
the charity’s public relations team. Mayer goes
on to say that 40 years later, “the iconic slogan
is our mantra, and shapes everything we do
at Dogs Trust – reminding people that dogs
should never be given as gifts or bought on
a whim”. Mayer says the charity is “pleased”
that the slogan has become “a huge part of
Christmas culture”, however she insists there
is “still work to be done every year”. “We still
have to pick up the pieces when dogs are
abandoned after Christmas,” explains Mayer.
She calls dogs a “wonderful addition” for a
family however she echoes the sentiment of
the classic statement saying “they must never
be an impulsive decision”.
ADVICE ON PREVENTING
‘IMPULSE’ PURCHASES/
ADOPTIONS
Dogs Trust’s method of preventing dogs from
being handed in after Christmas, is to educate
would-be owners on how to be a responsible
dog owner along with encouraging them
to adopt over purchasing. With Lucy’s Law
banning the sale of puppies in English pet
shops, Mayer says she would advise retailers
to tell customers looking to acquire a dog to
look at rehoming a rescue dog. “We have
thousands of dogs of all shapes and sizes
in our rehoming centres waiting to meet
their special someone,” she explains before
pointing out one of the modern pitfalls of
new dog owners adding: “We would never
recommend buying a puppy from any online
source.” Mayer says potential new owners
should be told to “thoroughly to do [their]
research so [they] can be confident that the
puppy you have your eye on, has been bred
responsibly”. Pet retailers can always refer
those looking at a new dog to the Dogs Trust
website which Mayer says features “a wealth
of advice”, to help would-be owners “be
confident that they are buying a puppy from a
December 2018