Pets Are Not The Best Surprise Gifts For Christmas

Pets make for nice Christmas gifts, but they are not good surprises.

That is according to Cookeville-Putnam County Animal Shelter Director Jennifer Hutchinson-Tracy. Hutchinson-Tracy said the owner should always be a part of the selection process.

“When adopting for a child, there has to be a lot of thought,” Hutchinson-Tracy said. “You can only expect the child to take so much responsibility. They may be all enthusiastic, but if you’re adopting for a child you are really adopting for yourself. If you decide to treat yourself with a pet for the holidays, it should be a family decision.”

Hutchinson-Tracey said she recommends buying gift certificates that have already paid adoption fees. Hutchinson-Tracey said that way you can still give a pet for Christmas, but let everyone be involved.

“When I started doing this 18 years ago, I personally saw a trend when we would get a rush of adoptions before the holidays and right after New Year’s they would coming bouncing back,” Hutchinson-Tracey said. “I haven’t noticed that as much in recent years, so I do think people are being more careful and involving the recipient more.”

Hutchinson-Tracy said the holidays are also a hard time for pets to transition to a new home since schedules are usually busy.

“It’s not the greatest time to introduce a family member particularly one that has been in a rescue environment,” Hutchinson-Tracey said. “It might be best to wait for things to settle down for a little bit.”