I recently read an article on the topic of gifting pets--giving a cat, dog, hamster, fish, etc as a holiday gift. You might ask yourself, "who does that?" But an acquaintance was given a Dachshund as a holiday bonus by her boss. My groomer was gifted her Rottweiler by a well intentioned husband...it happens. Meanwhile, Embracer Sara and her husband are recent foster failures, and they've decided to give themselves the gift of Cosmo Kramer (right)--which I think is a fantastic way to share the holidays!
While I'm sure my readers are pet savvy enough to know the drawbacks to the gifting of pets, I liked the author's suggestions on alternatives to pet purchasing:
- Visit a local shelter or breeder or go on their website and find out what it takes to adopt, what breed or breed mix would be best for you and why; why they don’t recommend adopting during the holidays; what support and references they can provide once you adopt a pet and get an idea of what it will cost to care for the animal (veterinarian costs, food, fun, training, travel, boarding, etc).
- If your child is old enough to volunteer at a local shelter, sign him/her up for a couple of months. The child will learn something about compassion, responsibility, how to behave around animals, etc. If he/she still wants one of its own you will at least know that the desire is well-informed. That does not by any means get you – the parent – off the hook in terms of responsibility, however your child will have demonstrated that he/she is as ready as he/she will ever be.
- Give the Promise of a Pet Instead for those kids that have persistently been asking for a pet. For example, add a pet collar, toy or dog training book under the tree. You can also enclose a gift certificate or card from a shelter promising a pet for after the holidays so the family unit can go and visit a shelter or breeder together
- If you don't plan on giving an animal as a gift, you can still help the animals by donating food and toys to your local shelter.
- You could also donate money to pay for a neuter or spay for an animal at a shelter or for a pet owned by someone having financial difficulties. You might also make a
donation in a name of a favorite animal lover.
- You can also foster rescue animals with your local shelter. Fostering is temporary –unless you decide to adopt – and helps an animal in need get some loving and wagging during the holidays. That also gives you time to assess if this is the right breed or time for your family to adopt.
- Give your child a stuffed dog instead - My parents gave me about 20 stuffed dogs throughout the 13 years I pleaded for the real thing. Best decision they made for all of us.
This list courtesy of Ines de Pablo, founder of pet safety company Wag’N Enterprises
Shown bottom is Bruiser, the the lovable Mastiff Embraced by Vet Specialist Chrissy. For more photos of our Embraced pups (and people) check out our holiday album.
