Think first before buying a pet for Christmas

Somewhere, this Christmas, an adorable-looking puppy will be wrapped in a red bow and be placed in a box to be given to a child as a gift.

It may seem the perfect gift for the holidays – a puppy, a kitty or even an iguana. But once the high of the holiday gift-giving season passes, that pet will still be there and will need the proper attention.

Before buying a pet for someone, the gift-giver should consider the best way to do so, said Kirsten Theisen, director of pet care at The Humane Society of the United States.

"In the case of giving pets to children, all the joy of the holiday can still be had by giving the supplies they'll need and then going with them to pick out the one they want," Theisen said.
That's because everyone's idea of a perfect pet companion is different, and bonding to a new pet is a personal experience, she explained.

Instead of making the choice for their kids, Thiesen recommends parents put leashes, bowls and toys under the tree and then, at the right time and without the hurry of the holidays, the family can go to a local pet shelter, where plenty of pets are waiting for loving homes.

“You can still get the thrill of the gift and even add the anticipation,” Thiesen said.

To have to potty train a new puppy in the snow may only add to the frenzy of the holidays and may create an unpleasant start to what should be a beautiful experience for both the family and the pet, she said.

Another route to take when thinking about a pet as a gift may seem like a no-brainer, but Theisen said the best intentions are fraught with disappointments.

Maybe Aunt Gladys just likes reminiscing about her previous cat but in no way wants another. It’s tricky turf deciding for someone what pet they’ll have to take care of, that’s why Theisen said, “The key is to think, ‘Who really knows best what animal they want?’”

At the Save-a-Pet shelter in Grayslake, people can purchase gift certificates for a dog or a cat and give them as gifts for someone who wants a new family pet.

Thiesen said most pet shelters have this option so people may find the right fit for them and the unfortunate act of returning a pet to the shelter doesn’t happen.

“A returned pet is a terrible fate,” Thiesen said.

Shelters know this all too well. They sometime run out of space to place these unwanted living animals and have to deny requests.

“We do get animals that just didn’t work out for the family,” said Nicole Nedza, operations manager at Save-a-Pet.

She said the intake requests for dogs and cats goes up about 10 percent in January and February. She can’t attribute this solely to the holidays, because in many cases the shelter doesn’t get a reason why a pet is left there, but she does say that every year after Easter she sees at least one bunny rabbit getting dropped off at the shelter.

“In my opinion it’s pets as birthday gifts that most often don’t work out,” Nedza said. “It’s usually the pet’s behavior that the owner didn’t anticipate or can’t deal with that has them give up the pet.”

So in thinking about the perfect gift for that special someone, whether it is for Christmas, a birthday or to mend a broken heart, think through what it means to add a living creature to that family dynamic.
In Thiesen's experience, keeping the recipient in mind, as well as the pet is a good start.

“What you want is to avoid a bad match for both and realize that it’s about the biggest gift you can make,”  Thiesen said.

For more information on anything pet, visit www.humanesociety.org.