The DSPCA is appealing to people to foster cats and dogs for Christmas.
The animal charity currently has up to 200 animals looking for temporary homes.
Staff and volunteers there have already helped 3,500 animals this year.
Moving house or the arrival of a new baby are given as the main reasons people give up a pet.
At the moment, 21 people are waiting to give up their dogs to the charity.
Call co-ordinator Lorna Swift said there’s always a spike coming up to holidays.
"About six or seven different people phoned me this morning alone asking us to take a pet over Christmas".
Gillian Bird from the DSPCA explained around 90 dogs and 80 cats are looking for foster homes for Christmas.
She is looking for people with "experience and time, who are going to be home a lot over Christmas".
One of the reasons people will need to be around so much is that the pets will "need to be let out to go to the toilet", she explained.
While all the animals are out with their foster families, the DSPCA shelter will get cleaned and repaired.
Those works will start the Wednesday before Christmas.
The fostered animals will be allowed to return to the DSPCA around January 6th.
You can find out more about fostering cats and dogs from the DSPCA here.
