Everyone likes to be home for Christmas if they can - and that includes animals.

Yet this can be one of the busiest times of year for those charities looking after animals without a home - whether cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, horses or any of the creatures we have as pets.

Some callous owners abandon their animal to make room for a new one coming as a Christmas present.

Others get one for Christmas and soon lose interest in it, or can’t or won’t give it the care and attention it needs.

It’s something that Caroline Johnson, general manager of Oak Tree Animals’ Charity in Wetheral Shields, has long observed.

“We are always busy,” she says. “However Christmas time brings different challenges.”

There are the old pets abandoned in favour of new ones. But she finds: “More often we speak to people a few weeks or months after Christmas with animals that they received at Christmas that they are no longer able to care for.

“Often this is due to the reality check after Christmas - where the level of work, time or training needed is just too much for the family to cope with.”

Who are animals who need a home? (you can see them in our video above)

- Bella is a beautiful young lurcher who is housetrained and needs a rural home with a secure garden with 6ft minimum fencing.

Bella has previously lived with other large dogs and could do so if introduced slowly but cannot live with cats or small dogs. She needs an experienced owner as she can be highly excitable on a lead when she meets other animals on a walk.

- Dougie is full of love and has bounds of energy. He would be best suited to an adult only home and though he does get on with other dogs he is best suited to being the only dog in a home.

He needs someone who is able to match his energy levels and continue his specific training.

- Misha is a 25-year-old mare looking for a permanent home. Misha is a pleasure to deal with and would be an ideal companion for someone.

Misha is good with the farrier and vet dentist and to lead and travel.

- Sherry is 12 and a half. She is used to a quiet rural home away from busy roads. She still enjoys spending time outdoors so will need a home that can offer indoor and outdoor access.

Sherry has not lived with any other cats or dogs and would prefer to be an only pet in a generally adult only home.

- Ginger is a very playful and looking for a home with outdoor access. She suffers from dermatitis and so is best suited to being the only animal in the home.

Ginger is a very vocal cat and will shout for attention! She would be best suited to an adult only home.

- Harry is looking for a home with no other pets or young children. He can be a bit shy at first but once he knows you he is very affectionate.

He is also very playful so would benefit from a home where he is not left alone for long periods and due to his weight he needs to follow a specific diet.

- Three years ago Ogi founding wandering the streets of Veles in Macedonia, hardly able to move and covered in horrific wounds - he had been set on fire.

He was released but a few months later he was found tied up and forced to fight in dog fights. Rescuers freed all the dogs.

He is six or seven and doesn’t require a lot of exercise.

- When rescued Louie he had no fur and was given only a five per cent chance of survival by vets. X rays showed he had been shot and had nine pellets inside him.

He was nursed him back to health and he is now a “gentle giant”. He may not suit a home with other animals or small children.

- When rescuers went to pick up Ogi, Daisy jumped into the car too.

She is a young puppy but about the size of a German Shepherd. She is good with cats, people and other large dogs but not with smaller dogs.

- Corrie was so horrifically abused in Romania he was very near death when rescued two years ago.

He has now put on much needed weight and has become a loving and happy dog. He doesn't get along with other dogs but is fine with cats and loves people.

- At about eight years old Dexter was put into a shelter by his owners because he had injured his leg. He had no food or water and his leg was so infected it took five weeks of therapy and dressings to save it.

He is a friendly dog who gets along with bitches or quiet dogs but not cats.

- Nela would sneak in and out of a rescue centre. While outside she was poisoned twice but luckily received treatment in time.

She is large but still very much a cheeky puppy, and loves everything and everybody.

Different factors can bring a reality check. Unexpected costs such as food, vets’ bills and insurance, a lack of training facilities or advice and not having the time to develop a good relationship with the pet can all store up problems.

“A dog or cat can be a 14 year plus commitment, which is not always thought about fully before taking the pet on,” Caroline warns.

Though she adds: “The problem certainly exists with rabbits, reptiles and other pets, when the initial enthusiasm for pet wears off, or people realise that their expectations of pet ownership don't match up to reality.”

Lack of knowledge of different species or breeds can also present difficulties. When it comes to choosing a dog in particular, breed choice has to be thought through carefully.

Caroline recalls: “We had a beautiful working cocker spaniel abandoned at the charity in early summer last year. From the information left with her, she is likely to have been bought at Christmas.

“She was a stunning dog a with a fabulous nature, but a working cocker is high energy, intelligent and has immense stamina, and not suitable for some families.”

Even if one family member is fond of a pet and devotes enough time and attention to it, it can’t be guaranteed that the others will share the same fondness.

“We would always advise people to get every family member involved in any new animal addition to the family, and therefore we would not recommend that pets be given as presents.”

Elizabeth McDonagh has run Penny Jones Animal Hospice near Hethersgill for 11 years now and looks after not just cats and dogs but pigs, donkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs, geese and other creatures.

It isn’t, as its name suggests, a hospice for sick animals. It began as somewhere where the pets of terminally ill people would be looked after and re-homed.

That is still one of its purposes, Elizabeth explains, and new homes for these animals can usually be found fairly swiftly.

But it now has another purpose - looking after dogs that have been cruelly treated in the past, not just in Britain but in mainland Europe.

“Some have come from Romania, Macedonia and Bosnia and there are some awful cases,” she finds. “The cruelty over there is unbelievable.”

There are animals that have been beaten, shot, starved, tortured or made to fight in organised dog fights. And Elizabeth adds: “There’s no RSPCA over there and the police and government aren’t bothered. We’ve got the RSPCA, we are a country of animal lovers and we are better off.”

Some of the maltreated dogs she looks after are too traumatised to trust humans again, and will live out their days with Elizabeth.

But others, particularly younger ones, do recover from their ordeal and would make good pets for loving homes.

Elizabeth has 12 cats at the moment but finds less demand for them. Perhaps that’s because there are just too many out there.

Cats reach sexual maturity at just six months old, but owners will often put off having them neutered, either believing they are not yet old enough or that the operation will be expensive.

“A cat can wander off for a while and then come back pregnant,” she says.

If you are prepared to take on an animal for life and not just for Christmas, then all the different refuges have candidates needing good homes.

“We would always recommend that you consider adopting an animal from a reputable animal charity,” says Caroline. “These animals will be fully behaviourally assessed, having received full veterinary check-ups. They will be microchipped, vaccinated and neutered.”

Elizabeth agrees. “There are some lovely rescue dogs out there. There will be someone somewhere for them.

“And rescue centres know their animals, and whether they’d be good with children, for example.”

But it is probably a decision that should be put off until the new year.

“Christmas can be both the best and worst time to get a new pet as a whole family decision,” Caroline suggests.

“If people are off work for a couple of weeks and have a quiet Christmas planned, it can be a fabulous opportunity to have the time to be able to settle in your new arrival.

“However, if you have a busy household over Christmas this can be really overwhelming for the new pet.

“You need to take the time to research and prepare for your new pet’s arrival and have time to create the strong bond and groundwork for a lifelong relationship.”