Think first before giving a pet to your family this holiday season
Don't rush to adopt animals during the holiday season, says Dave Rogers, the executive director of the Greater Moncton SPCA.
He said the shelter always aims to find animals a happy home for longer than the holiday season.
"I think it's more important for us to make sure, when you come to adopt, this is something you've thought through. Is it something that everybody in the family has talked about and agreed to?"
Some shelters have started easing restrictions on Christmas adoptions after a study found pets adopted during the holidays have a higher success rate in finding permanent homes.
Rogers said the Greater Moncton SPCA discouraged adoption about eight years ago.
"It is an old policy that a lot of shelters are moving away from," Rogers told Information Morning Moncton.
Still, Rogers has a few recommendations for anyone looking to adopt an animal during the holidays, such as getting your adoption application in early.
"That shows an intent early on that this is not going to be an impulse adoption," he said.
"That would be the worst case in the world that you would fall in love with a rabbit and take it home only to find out that Dad and the children aren't really happy with the rabbit, so it comes back to us."
Consider lifestyle when adopting
He said people should also consider their lifestyle when adopting a pet.
"If you're going to come out and adopt an energetic dog, maybe you should be thinking about a cat if there's not people home through the day to walk the dog or look after the dog," Rogers said.
"It really depends on the lifestyle. It depends on what you'll be able to offer. It's no different at Christmas than it is the other 364 days of the year."
He said the Greater Moncton SPCA has about 85 cats and kittens, 15 dogs, 22 rabbits and about 40 rodents awaiting adoption.
To adopt an animal, people can go online to apply or head to the shelter to visit the animals.
"I like the idea of people adopting animals anytime," Rogers said.
