Eight-week-old mongrel puppy Ronnie is the first Christmas dog to be dumped at Battersea Dogs’ Home – just a week after being given as a gift
Adorable pup was bought online as a Christmas present for someone who can't look after him
AN adorable puppy has become the first unwanted Christmas pet to be abandoned this year.
Eight-week-old mongrel Ronnie was dumped at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home on January 2.
His owner - whose ex-partner bought him online - left him there after they split and he became homeless.
The poor pup has now become the first unwanted pet at the south London rescue centre so far this year.
Home intake manager Steven Craddock said: "It doesn't shock any of us that the first dog through our doors in 2018 was bought online.
"Ronnie is just one of many thousands of dogs who will be bought off an unregulated website in the coming months and end up in a home where the owner is unprepared and unable to take proper care of them.
"His new owner did the right thing by bringing him into us where we can look after him and find him a loving new home, which we doubt will take long as he's such a lovely boy.
"However, this doesn't change the fact that he never should have been sold online in the first place.
"We believe he may have been taken from his mother far too young and likely sold by a breeder with absolutely no regard for his welfare.
"It's so easy to sell a dog online and this is one of the biggest challenges that Battersea faces today."
He added: "I'd encourage anyone thinking of welcoming a new pet into their lives to consider rescue over shopping online."
Ronnie is now undergoing assessment at Battersea and will be vaccinated and microchipped before he is ready to go to a loving new home.
A different charity, the Dogs Trust, runs an annual campaign using the slogan "A dog is for life, not just for Christmas", aimed at discouraging people from giving pets as gifts.
In October we told how a rescue dog abused by previous owners was scared of all people expect a baby who became her best friend.
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