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Local shelters support giving a shelter pet as a gift this holiday season, however, placing a puppy underneath the Christmas tree isn't exactly what they have in mind.
While the effort seems to go against perceptions that pets shouldn’t be given as gifts due to potential abandonment risks, the Sacramento shelters say it depends on the situation.
“In the past, you heard a lot of stories about not giving pets as gifts,” said Sara Varanini, spokesperson for the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). “There are some studies that have been done by the ASPCA showing that these pets are actually not more likely to be returned or brought back to the shelter if they are given as a gift.”
What happens to pets given as gifts?
The ASPCA did a study in 2013 showing that 96 percent of people who got a pet as a gift thought it either increased or had no impact on their attachment to the pet. It also found that 86 percent of the pets were still living in the home.
All data aside, make sure the person is ready and able to have a pet before you gift one.
“The ASPCA recommends the giving of pets as gifts only to people who have expressed a sustained interest in owning one, and the ability to care for it responsibly,” according to the ASPCA website.
The study found that animals given as pets do not have a higher risk for abandonment; a claim that is supported by Gina Knepp, spokesperson for Sacramento’s Front Street Animal Shelter.
“We don’t see a higher rate of abandonments during this time of year as compared to other times of the year,” Knepp added.
If you’re considering giving a pet as a gift, Varanini suggests making sure that recipient has shown a sustained interested in wanting a pet and has the means to take care of it.
Neither Knepp nor Varanini were supportive of leaving a puppy under the Christmas tree for the holidays, but they were supportive of gifting a pet in other ways.
Instead of a puppy under a Christmas tree, they suggested wrapping up a leash, food bowl, and collar or even a gift certificate for an adoption, which the Front Street Animal Shelter offers at their shelter.
Varanini suggested it as “[n]ot so much a surprise gift, but a kind of family activity or way to bond and come down to the shelter to meet several different types of animals”.
This lets the family find a pet that's the perfect fit for their home and family. The gift giver could even help with the supplies that family will need to start off.
If the gift is for a child then parents should assume that they’ll have to take responsibility for the pet.
“As long as it’s a family decision and a family-type of adoption, it can definitely work out well,” Varanini added.
What to keep in mind if you gift a pet for the holidays
Shelters like Front Street and the SPCA continually see increased adoptions around this season due in part to families and parents having more time off work and school to visit the shelters.
However, the holidays are a time with a lot travel and a lot of guests. For some families, it is not an ideal time to bring home a new pet, but, there are ways to work around the issues.
Older dogs that are more used to the holiday dynamics might be a better choice in this case. A puppy would need house training and might have some issues with chewing and knocking over the Christmas tree.
These pets need a period to adjust, so Varanini suggests ensuring that they have a quiet space and a crate where they can be away from the holiday festivity.
Where to get a pet for the holidays
Some adoption fees can range from $100 or higher from shelters or breeders, but shelter animals will generally be the lower cost option.
In Sacramento, Bradshaw Animal Shelter, Front Street Animal Shelter, and the Sacramento SPCA will be waiving their adoption fees due to a sponsorship from the Best Friends Animal Society.
“We’re really excited to try and adopt out as many animals as we can and get them in homes for the holidays,” Varanini said.
As a collective, their goal is to find 1,000 animals a home before the end of the month.