The new campaign launched last week to coincide with a peak in internet searches for puppies.

Dogs Trust reveals the most shocking excuses for abandoning a pet

The top 12 most bizarre and shocking reasons for giving up a dog have been revealed by the Dogs Trust as part of a new campaign to make people stop and think before buying a pet.

The list ranges from the poignant - "he was too loving and needed too much attention" - to the downright bizarre  - "I'm worried out toddler will copy him and poo in the garden".

In a bid to stop thousands of puppies being abandoned after Christmas, the charity has designed 12 striking artworks to be displayed in city centres across the UK. Each artwork depicts one of the 12 most shocking excuses given to Dogs Trust staff by people giving up their dogs.

The other 10 excuses are:

• "He kept chasing frogs"

• "He looked different after we walked him in the rain"
• 
"He’s too playful - we haven’t sat down since we got him"

• "My dog is old and going to die soon"
• 
"He was scared of the cat next door"

• "He barks every morning"
• 
"He wags his tail too much"

• "She’s seems hungry all the time and follows me around the house"
• 
"He kept coughing in the night and woke me up"
• 
"All the puppy did was sleep. We wanted a dog we could play with"

Giles Webber, who is in charge of rehoming at the charity's 20 centres, said: "With more and more puppies flooding the Christmas market, all available at the click of a button, it is more essential than ever that our iconic message 'A Dog is For Life, Not Just For Christmas' is ingrained in people’s minds".

During the last week of November, traffic to websites selling puppies peaks as people begin buying their Christmas presents. To coincide with this, the charity launched its campaign last week on Trinity Way in Manchester, with an artwork of a beagle, alongside the words "I was handed in because I coughed in the night and woke dad".

Giles added: "We hope that this visually striking campaign will encourage people to think twice about the commitment of dog ownership before impulsively buying a puppy. Our aim is to ensure that the artwork will be the only abandoned dogs the British public will see on their streets this Christmas period".

Image ©Wendy Lovatt