It must have been over 20 years ago that our Trustees asked me, as Head of PR,  to devise a slogan that would prevent the impulse buying of dogs as presents. Out of the dozen or so suggestions offered, they seemed to like one in particular, and “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas” was born.

Over the years, it’s been hi-jacked by a number of different people. I’ve seen “God is for life, not just for Christmas”, “Brussels sprouts are for life…”, “A no claims bonus is for life…” and even one involving a product sold by a chain of adult shops that I won’t explain here. 

It’s been spotted in various different languages and I must say that both “Un cane e per la vita, non solo per Natale” and “Un perro es para la vida, no justa para Navidad” do have a certain ring to them.

It’s such a simple message but perhaps that’s the secret of its success.

I’m looking forward to the day when it’s no longer necessary to use the slogan. But I fear that the day when everybody understands the full responsibilities of dog ownership is still some way off. So, this Christmas, Dogs Trust will be pushing the message again and explaining that our four legged friends are not disposable objects. Rather they are the most wonderful companions who bring great joy to our lives whilst giving us unconditional loyalty. In return, all we have to do is to take our responsibilities seriously and treat them with the love and attention that they deserve – through good times and bad. That seems like a fair deal to me.

If you want to help spread the word, go to http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/information/ourpublications/  and order your free “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas” car sticker.

Season’s greetings to dog lovers everywhere

Clarissa