At the end of May, the animal welfare organisation Pfotenhilfe appealed to pet owners to please look for a temporary foster home for their pet in good time before the holiday season. But as the holidays approach, the number of enquiries to the Pfotenhilfe animal welfare centre is already piling up - especially when it comes to giving up dogs. Many irresponsible pet owners want to get rid of their family members immediately and permanently. Shortly before the holiday, they suddenly realise that keeping an animal entails a certain amount of responsibility and that this was not considered or not enough considered before the purchase. And this responsibility is too much for some people. "As the number of pet owners increases, the number of those who acquire animals purely as a means to an end and then unscrupulously 'dispose of' them again, like an old stuffed animal, is also increasing sharply," says Pfotenhilfe boss Johanna Stadler. "A development that we are observing with great concern, because we are finding fewer and fewer real animal lovers who want to adopt animals in order to give them a better future. It's a dilemma, because the more strictly we check the places, the more likely people are to turn to dubious online sources that sell cheap, mass-produced goods with virtually no control. Such animals often have massive health problems for the rest of their lives, if they even survive the first few months. Even terribly poor, lifelong, severely suffering individuals from cruelly bred breeds find their way illegally into people's living rooms!" Employ a pet sitter or animal boarding facility Pfotenhilfe advises that you should definitely think about whether the animal can travel with you before you buy it.