While a bow-wrapped puppy or kitty may seem like an adorable Christmas present for the kids, the responsibility of being a pet owner extends beyond the holidays.
Second Chance Animal Rescue Society (SCARS) training co-ordinator Terra MacLean wants to remind St. Albertans who are shopping for new pets around the holidays – for themselves or as a gift – the decision to welcome a new friend into the home should be carefully considered.
“If you gift an animal, and/or bring one into your home, it’s not just the joy of Christmas morning seeing it run around. There’s obviously a lot of other things at play there,” MacLean said.
“It’s a living breathing being; it has its own wants and needs. It shouldn’t be on a whim that we take a life and bring it into our home and see if it works.”
MacLean said every year after Christmas the non-profit receives a noticeable jump in the number of requested animal surrenders – around a 20-per-cent increase. MacLean said she attributes it to people making snap decisions to adopt and turning to places like Kijiji, where new pets are readily available, and then deciding after the holidays it will not work out.
Rather than adopting on a whim, the trainer recommended families thinking of welcoming a new pet into their homes do their due diligence first. That includes doing some thorough research prior to adopting.Rescue agencies are happy to give out information that will prepare people for getting a pet, MacLean said, including how certain dog breeds might fit into a certain lifestyle.
“Getting a husky that’s going to live in an apartment and (be) crated 10 hours a day, probably not ideal,” she said. “I’m not saying you can’t have a puppy or a kitty at Christmas, I’m just saying, do it wisely and with the animal's best interest.”
When the request to take unwanted pets start to pour in after the new year, MacLean said it can be “defeating” to have to turn away animals due to lack of space and resources.
The rescue organization is always looking for homes that can foster pets until they find their own loving owners, and MacLean said the need is especially great around the holidays.
Because so many of SCARS’ regular foster homes make holiday plans to go away, it creates a real bottleneck in resources.
Anybody interested in fostering pets through SCARS can sign up on their website at www.scarscare.ca and attend a fostering orientation.
