Bendigo Animal Relief Centre caring for influx of cats and dogs that have been surrendered

BARC operations manager Fra Atyeo is hoping the team can re-home a number of cats and dogs by Christmas.

But Ms Atyeo reminded people that pets don't always make ideal Christmas presents if the future pet owner is not involved in the decision.

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"Christmas time we look at in two ways," she said. "Yes, pets don't always make great gifts. It is importnat that whoever the pet is for is part of decision making process so they find an animal they can bond with. It is a lifelong thing for the animal.

"But we also want to encourage people thinking about getting a pet that this might be a good time of year because the days are longer, so it is easy to find time to train, exercise and socialise with the animal.

"It is a time of year when people usually have time off, which is great if have a new pet in house because it allows them to get used to their surroundings."

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Ms Atyeo said BARC is currently caring for 98 animals including dogs, cat, guinea pigs and sheep.

She said the rise in surrenders was in line with the ability of people to travel again.

"Our numbers are sitting at around 60 cats and 20 dogs in the shelter plus the animals in foster," Ms Atyeo said. "We have definitely had more animals than that before but is a big number to be sitting at.

"On Tuesday we had 21 cats come in and could be close to 150 animals by Christmas, so it is important we do find homes for them as fast as they are coming in.

"We had a concern we would see this (influx) when people went back to workplaces but we are seeing it now that people can travel again.

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"I think the influx (of surrenders) is happening with surrenders because see that people can finally go away. In the past a neighbour might have been around but now everyone itching to get out and go away, so there is no one to look after animal and the responsibility is going in the too hard basket."

Ms Atyeo said fostering an animal for a short time was an option for people considering a pet but were unsure if it would fit in with the family lifestyle.

"That's where foster carers are useful. If you're unsure if you're ready for a pet, you could be a foster carer for an animal," she said. "You don't have a set time frame, we try to be flexible for people. It lets have a pet for a month to see if the novelty wears off on the kids, if the family can keep up with the commitment and if the pet is right for you.

"People worry about falling in love with animals while fostering. That's OK, you can then adopt it. If it is the right fit and pet for you, we can work with that."

Visit bendigoanimalreliefcentre.com.au for more information on adopting or fostering a pet.

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