Thinking about giving a pet this holiday season? Colorado Springs Shelters Offer Some Suggestions

COLORADO SPRINGS – As the holidays approach, animal shelters are increasingly busy with people seeking to adopt a pet. But while buying a pet can be a fun experience, shelters urge caution.

“The kids don’t go to school, the parents are off, it’s good to bring one of our pets home and give them a home for the holidays as well,” said Cody Costra, relationship specialist. public and content for the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak area. “We don’t recommend bringing a pet home as a gift when it comes as a surprise to someone. “

Often, shelters see families arriving with children who are neither prepared nor ready to commit. When this happens, it becomes more likely that the animal will be incompatible with the family.

Although many shelters report seeing fewer of these sad situations, it still happens every year. For families who are serious about adopting a pet, there are ways to make sure your new addition fits into the family before you bring it home.

“You can get a gift certificate and maybe buy the supplies and wrap these things so that when the kids open their presents and they find a kitten collar or a litter box or something like that, they’ll know what’s going on.” going on and they’ll get really excited about it.

However, like many animal shelter workers and volunteers, Gina Rocha says giving a pet is not the perfect Christmas present, whatever the situation.

“Dogs are not at all the best gifts to give as a present. They take on a whole bunch of responsibilities. They are practically children in their own incarnation, ”said Rocha.

Rocha recommends fostering families first, if they have taken everything else into consideration, and still wish to adopt. This way families can get a feel for what owning a dog will be like.

“By cheering you learn, ‘Hey, we love this temper, we love this breed, we love the feeling of raising a dog from a puppy, or we love having older dogs,” Rocha said.

Another option, if families are still hesitant to adopt, is to volunteer at a shelter.

“We actually have kids volunteering with their parents so they get a taste of ‘are we ready for this? “” Happy cats paradise Andrea Jones Adoption Manager explained. “So if it’s not for you, you can just stop volunteering. “

It’s important to note that shelters don’t want to discourage anyone from adopting. However, with the right steps, getting a pet during the holidays is a gift that will continue to be given for many years to come.