It’s the beginning of another busy year for many families with children back at school and parents off to work.

In some cases this leaves the family pet with the dilemma of what to do without all the attention they get used to over the holidays.

Boredom sets in along with the natural animal instinct to occupy one’s self with anything in proximity.

Unfortunately this leads to unwelcome surprises when we get home and frustration.

We then have the all too common scenario of let’s just get rid of the problem the quick way and another pet is dumped, hopefully never to find its way home.

For the RSPCA this is the busiest time of year with 3000 extra animals to care for, all due to dumping in bushland, on the side of the road or in tips across the state.

The above figure does not include the animals that escape into the wild then go on to breed with other strays.

These animals can threaten our native wildlife, get killed or injured.

“A large amount of dumped animals are crossbred dogs from pups to seniors with the puppies being the easiest to re-home,” a spokesperson for the RSPCA said.

Andrea Corradini, a local dog rescuer for more than 10 years, comes across a wide variety of dogs to be re-housed but finds an average age of 12 to 18 months (the teenage years) being the most common.

“Impulse buying of pets, whether from a pet shop or other means, often goes hand in hand with lack of thought and commitment for that animal,” Andrea said.

“You get out what you put in.

“Training and socialisation of pets is very important to ensure a well balanced and well mannered pet.

“A pet is a family member for the duration of their life, not just for the duration of the holidays or until the animal becomes too unruly due to lack of attention.”

Most dogs who find themselves in the pound or at shelters are perfectly normal, well behaved dogs who have ended up there through no fault of their own.

Microchipping and life time registration with Council will ensure the safe return of your dog in the event it does get lost or stolen.