Paris Hilton style of carrying dogs in handbags no longer a craze

London: The style of carrying dogs in handbags as an accessory, apparently popularized by Paris Hiliton, has gone out of fashion.

Five years ago, animal welfare charities reported that only a handful of unwanted toy breeds were handed over by their owners but now they are being dumped on a daily basis, reports the Daily Express. In 2009, The Dogs Trust, Britain’s largest dog welfare charity, had 285 toy dogs handed in to its re-homing centers but last year that number increased by 44 per cent to 409. So far in 2011, 149 toy breeds have been left. It is also a similar picture at the Blue Cross animal welfare charity. Numbers of unwanted bichon frise, chihuahuas, shihtzus, Yorkhire ¬terriers, lhasa apsos, pugs, pomeranians, papillons and cavalier King Charles spaniels rose from 53 in 2006 to 177 in the past year. ANI