Ms Perkons said the holidays are a great time to find a new pet as people are at home from work and school to be with them, however, she said there’s a few guidelines if the pet is a gift.

“It’s best for it not to be a surprise, it’s best for the person to be involved in the selection,” Ms Perkons said.

“There needs to be a meet and greet between existing and adopted dogs. If it’s a surprise and the dog just arrives at the house there might be issues.”

Ms Perkons said while the six week period when children are on holidays can be a great opportunity to socialise new pets and train them, it can be a period where accidents occur if care isn’t taken.

The William Street shelter manager said fireworks and thunderstorms at this time of year can be frightening for dogs and cause them to act out.

To mitigate damage, Ms Perkons recommends making sure they are housed inside secure fencing, registered and wearing a collar with a phone number.

She said while it can be tempting to want to spoil pets with human food it is best to keep them on their regular diet and avoid feeding them scraps from the table, with chocolate and ham of particular concern.

In pet owners feel they need to buy a gift for their animals, Ms Perkons said to find a toy which suits the activities their pets enjoy like a ball, or shell pool.

She said the shell pools can be a great way to keep them cool in the warm weather too, but extra care needs to be taken over summer.

“Keep them in the shade, put them inside the house – definitely never in a parked car – always make sure there are multiple water bowls,” she said.

“If they’re white furred definitely keep them out of the sun because they’re prone to get sun burnt, if they have a pink nose they might require sunscreen.”

RSPCA will be closed to public Christmas and Boxing Day.