By Sarah Therrien, Staff Writer/Advertising Manager
Although the holiday season is often considered “the most wonderful time of the year” by many people, for animals, this time of year may be the most devastating.
People getting their spouses and family members pets for the holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day can turn out to be detrimental to animals. As the number of pets adopted as holiday gifts increases, so does the number of animals abandoned or surrendered. After the holiday hype wears off, many people who received a “forever friend” realize that the responsibilities of a pet are too time consuming and expensive for them to handle. They may become bored with their new pet and then abandon them to die on the streets or surrender them to a shelter.
Not only is adopting animals as gifts during the holiday season a bad idea because it’s a decision based on impulse, but also because bringing an animal into any new environment can often intimidate it until it’s acclimated. The hecticness that goes on in a house during the holiday season may make it even more difficult and stress-inducing for a new furry friend. Holiday decorations and food are easily accessible this time of year. Christmas lights and their cords or Valentine’s Day sweets can also be very dangerous and life threatening to a young and curious animal.
In December 2016, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a statement urging people to refrain from buying animals as surprise gifts for loved ones,
“Caring for an animal is a 15-year (or more) commitment, and those who are given as gifts to unprepared recipients are often discarded once the novelty wears off,” the animal welfare organization stated.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has continuously tried to persuade people from making rash decisions when adopting pets, as yearly abandonment rates of pets continue to be exceedingly large numbers. Along with PETA’s efforts, many animal shelters and adoption groups around the world have begun to take a stand against the trend of animals being sold and abandoned when gifted as pets.
Kenosha’s local Safe Harbor Humane Society shelter takes precautions to avoid the neglect of pets, said Volunteer Coordinator, Adolfo Dorta, not only during the holiday season, but year round.
“We reject adopting out animals as gifts and make it mandatory for all members of a household to come and meet the animal prior to adoption,” said Dorta, of the Kenosha shelter’s policy. “This allows us to insure that the animal is being placed in the best possible situation and that all parties are in agreement with bringing the animal into the home.”
In a shelter with a more open admission process, I could see there being a problem with animals who are gifted being returned a short while later, which is why we avoid that practice,” Dorta said.
As a word of advice to anyone looking into adopting an animal as a gift for a partner or child, not just during holiday season, Dorta had additional advice.
“Adopting an animal with the intention of gifting is generally a very bad idea. Animals are long term responsibilities that require many hours of daily attention as well as a great deal of financial investment,” he said.
“Much like people, pets need regular medical visits to keep them healthy, as well as quality food, exercise, and social enrichment. Pets, particularly more involved ones such as dogs or exotics, aren’t always a good fit for every person and the act of bringing one into a home should be carefully considered prior to making the commitment,” Dorta said.