Every year after Christmas, unwanted pups are put down. But it needn't be that way, writes Eileen Battersby

As a people, the Irish are not particularly good dog owners. In fact, so poor is Ireland's record that a National Stray Dog Forum was established last November by a concerned group of vets from Veterinary Ireland. It includes representatives of animal welfare bodies, such as the ISPCA and Blue Cross, with various private rescue and re-homing services and the local-authority dog wardens and vets responsible for destroying stray dogs.

Its aim is to solve the problem of stray dogs. Most of all, the forum wants to reform attitudes to dog owning. It intends to challenge and change an irresponsible culture of neglect. Among its objectives is to promote canine birth control by neutering and to encourage dog microchipping as a form of identification and a tracing aid - similar to the procedure horse owners use to prevent theft. In the case of dogs, however, the microchipping is also a form of owner accountability if a dog is abandoned.

Every year, it's the same story, with gorgeous, heartbreaking photographs to match. A standard casualty of the post-Christmas fallout is the post-Christmas unwanted puppy. Few creatures are more adorable, but they spell a lot of bother for a person who is simply not interested enough. A puppy is not a toy. But for the right child, it is the best present. Tiny puppies quickly grow into bigger, livelier puppies and are soon strong, young intelligent members of the family - in need of exercise, entertainment, worming, flea control, preventative oral hygiene and, of course, dietary care.

Dogs are life-enhancers; they exude a special honesty and they can bring out the best in humans. That said, why do we treat them so badly? Why are perfectly fit young puppies of 14 to 16 weeks, as well as other healthy dogs of all ages, being put to sleep as you read this? Why were 25,000 strays destroyed in the Republic last year?

It's simple. No one wants them, because a dog requires effort. If you already have a dog, you may feel your pet would regard a second as an intruder. This may initially be so, but dogs are adaptable; often, a rival becomes a companion. Two dogs are not twice the trouble; they double the pleasure for everyone.

According to Pete Wedderburn, TV3 vet and spokesman for Veterinary Ireland and the National Stray Dogs Forum, "Ireland's stray dog problem is 10 times worse than that of England and Wales. Anybody working with animals in Ireland knows that the stray dog issue is as critical as other aspects of animal cruelty, including dog fighting."

Shortly before Christmas, while walking our five dogs, I found a puppy and her dead brother in a ditch. I brought her home, and she's doing well. My beloved dogs, Bilbo and Frodo, were both strays. I have no problem admitting I'm making a blatant case for giving a stray dog a home. In my experience, owning a dog is a gift, a privilege, a joy immense enough even to counter the agony when death eventually intervenes - as it does in all great relationships.

If you are a person who will immediately say, "I'd love a dog, but it would tie me to the house - and what about holidays?" then forget it. You are not looking for a dog: you have already decided your lifestyle does not include one. That's your prerogative.

Some people are nervous of dogs, others simply don't like them. Again, people are entitled to their views. Rule one for any dog lover is to accept that the world is not full of fellow dog lovers. "Love me, love my dogs" is neither the most efficient nor realistic of life policies. Never impose your dog on the wary, uninterested or hostile.

It will be argued that not every unwanted healthy puppy or dog awaiting death at any number of animal shelters across the country is an unwanted present. That's true - the huge numbers have been created not only by stray animals maturing and breeding but also by existing dog owners who refuse to have their bitches spayed and their dogs neutered.

Females, even when in heat, are not kept in, while dogs, ever open to sexual opportunities, are permitted to roam free. The result is a dog population out of control that then requires desperate, brutal methods.

Dog owning is wonderful, but it is a responsibility. Dogs should not be allowed to run free through cities, never mind farming areas. The sweetest domestic pet lying in front of the fire this evening may well have been, a few hours earlier, part of a rampaging gang worrying sheep. Some people think exercising a dog means merely opening the back door. Many owners appear to resent paying veterinary fees and refuse to inject their dogs against killer diseases such as parvovirus and distemper. Vets are expensive, as are doctors, dentists and lawyers. Professional services, whether for your court case or your dog's injections, cost money.

On a list of priorities, people resent paying for their pets and are reluctant to expend any effort. Strange, considering the priceless contribution dogs make to our lives. In a society where space is as elusive as time, many people may feel they simply do not have room for a dog. This, too, is a factor, but where dogs can't have freedom to run, these most intelligent, accommodating of animals have learned to adapt to their environment.

There are more than 1,000 kinds of dog in the world, not counting that most wonderful of all, the mongrel. A particular dog exists for most domestic situations. Ironically, while pedigree breeders have waiting lists for specific breeds, wonderful mongrel pups will be put to sleep unless someone wants them.

There is little point in sighing at newspaper images of pretty puppies in cages with only five days' stay of execution to get a home or die. Any responsible person who gives a dog a home is guaranteed far more than vet's fees in return.

• www.irishanimals.com  deals with the issue of strays