SPCA says it's OK to adopt pets for Christmas presents
The Nova Scotia SPCA says adopting a pet around the holiday season may not be such a bad idea after all, pointing to data that suggests pets adopted this time of year have a higher success rate in finding forever homes.
"It depends on you and your family and what's a bad time for you, and we just want to look at each family and each situation sort of as an individual," said Heather Woodin, the SPCA's provincial administration co-ordinator.
Woodin said a lot of past fears around adopting a pet at Christmas had to do with owners not being prepared for the long-term commitment and expenses, and the holidays just generally being a busy time of year for a lot of people.
Potentially a great time to adopt
In reality, Woodin said a lot of pets are matched with great owners this time of year.
"In January, we found there was no real change in the amount of animals coming back to our care," she said.
Woodin said the American SPCA did a 2012 study where it contacted people who had given adopted pets as gifts around the holidays and found a higher success rate in those pets staying in their forever homes.
"Some people over the holidays, they have time off from work, they don't have travel plans, maybe it's sort of a quiet holiday at home and that would be a great time to integrate a pet into the family," she said.
Influx of dogs at N.S. SPCA
Right now, the Nova Scotia SPCA has an influx of dogs in its care after an investigation into animal cruelty. A number of Amstaff-mix puppies are looking for homes.
Woodin said if people are thinking about getting a dog or cat this Christmas, they should consider adoption if it's the right time.
"As long as you're prepared for the long-term commitment and everything that involves," she said.
New pet owners should take precautions if they're adopting a pet as a gift this year, Woodin said.
Those precautions include keeping decorations away from the pet, making sure treats like chocolate are out of reach, and keeping the number of visitors to the house low.
"Big holiday parties, that might be a little bit overwhelming," Woodin said.
