Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/sad-santa-paws-letters/

Christmas is supposed to be a time of good cheer and merriment, but that doesn’t hold true for everyone — especially shelter pets. While dogs may not understand the concept of Christmas and all of the sentiments that go with it, shelter staff are fully aware of the hardships these animals face regardless of the time of year. Staff in the U.K. are writing on their behalf to “Santa Paws,” and the results will tug at your heartstrings.

Animal Rescue

U.K. shelters are having just as hard a time with homeless pets as the U.S. Much of the problem stems from the pandemic followed by skyrocketing prices worldwide. When given the opportunity to write Christmas Letters to the jolly old man from the North Pole, they didn’t hold back. Wishlists aside, staff at Dogs Trust shelters around the United Kingdom have penned sad letters to Santa in hopes of finding them forever homes.

According to the Daily Mail, in Snetterton, 2-year-old Belgian Shepherd Lily is “keeping her paws” crossed in hopes of finding her happily ever after next year. As for an 8-year-old Shih Tzu in Cardiff named Gilly, he’s wishing for a quiet home where he can get plenty of snuggles. 

Shelter Dogs at Christmas

Adam Clowes, who is the Operations Director at Dogs Trust, stated: “All of our dogs deserve to have wonderful lives at the heart of loving homes, and we have our fingers and paws crossed that every single dog we are looking after will find their very own special someone soon.” Like everywhere else, their shelters are at full capacity. He went on to say, “We understand the pressures people are facing, but we would encourage anyone that is looking for a four-legged friend to share their life with, to consider adopting one of our gorgeous dogs and give a dog in need another chance to be happy at the heart of a loving home.”

Letters to Santa Paws

Some of the other letters read, “I think I have managed to stay off the naughty list this year. All I want for Christmas is a nice quiet home where I can play with my toys, go for lovely walks in the countryside, and have a comfy bed for long snoozes. Lots of tasty treats are optional. Love, Barney” Another says “My name is Lucy, and I’ve been ‘supaw’ good this year! For Christmas, I would love to be curled up by a fireplace surrounded by my forever family. I dream of Christmas turkey leftovers, long walks in a winter wonderland, and playing with my family all day long. Could you please bring me my Christmas miracle?”

Animal Shelters Everywhere

These touching letters could have been written by staff at shelters all across the globe. The sad fact is pets are being surrendered or abandoned at alarming rates here and elsewhere. If you were thinking about possibly adding a new member to your family, please, please, please adopt, don’t shop. There are too many worthy pets languishing in shelters and rescues to make any other decision, and many of them are infants and juveniles.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog