The holiday season has dawned upon us which means lots of gift-giving, including the potential gift of pets.
The Guelph Humane Society says it sees a rise in adoptions just before the holiday season, a time they see optimal for both the pet and the pet owner.
With more people at home during the holiday season, Guelph Humane Society executive director Adrienne McBride says it can be a really good time to bring pets home because of the extra time that can be spent with the animal in their new home helping them adjust to their surroundings and bonding.
“We encourage people to be honest with themselves about their own schedule during their holiday season,” says McBride adding that if one is travelling, it is not the best time to be adopting a pet.
With kittens that were born in late August and puppies that are turning eight weeks old next week, McBride says there is a diversity of animals that can be chosen for adoption.
“We certainly do our best to get as many pets home for the holidays before we close down for those days as well,” says McBride.
She says there is a false myth that animals adopted during the holidays end up in shelters at the beginning of the new year because people lose interest in the puppy.
“That doesn’t actually happen,” says McBride about the myths that have been debunked by several kinds of research.
“Research shows that people who receive pets as gifts show no less love or attachment to that pet that somebody who went and adopted it themselves.”
She says if parents wanted to get a pet for their family at that time of the year than that gift can be a really magical experience for the children in the home
McBride says it's important to do the research and understand what one is getting into before making the decision to gift a pet
“Has the person given the pet indicated an interest? Are they willing to take that on?” are important questions to consider says, McBride.
While adoptions do increase at this time, McBride says the process of adoption is no different. The organization still encourages individuals to do the research, meet the pet they will be adopting and go through the application and interview process.
“That doesn’t change,” says McBride.
