Is it a good idea to give someone a dog or cat for Christmas?

If you are thinking of giving someone a pet for Christmas, you should bear in mind the key points we highlight in this article to remember that adopting an animal is a big responsibility.

The adoption rate rises before Christmas

The results of our latest survey Study They would never do it. Abandonment and Adoption, show that 36% of animal shelters find that adoption requests increase before Christmas.

At the Affinity Foundation we believe that dogs and cats should not be offered as gifts either at Christmas or at any other time of the year, and even less so when they are impulse or surprise gifts. When it comes to children, 80% of them have asked for dogs or cats for Christmas at some point, but it is essential to make them understand that animals are not toys and be aware of the obligations that are acquired when adopting an animal.

Before adopting a dog or cat as a gift, please read the following:

• A living being should not be a gift.
• 67% of animal shelters believe that some of the pets abandoned at the beginning of the year were Christmas presents.
• Adopting a dog or cat is a decision that will have an impact on the next 10 years or more of the person or family with whom they live. Therefore, the decision must be agreed upon by all members of the family and everyone must be willing to take their share of responsibility for the care of the pet.
• The person receiving the pet must have thought carefully about it and expressed a clear desire to live with a pet and be capable of caring for it responsibly. In this regard, your contribution can be to accompany them to the shelter and help them in the adoption process.
• If you are thinking of giving an animal to a child, it is essential to realise that their interest in it may change once it is no longer a novelty or that they may distance themselves from the pet due to other factors inherent to their development process (more hours of study or moving away from home). Nor should you believe that the child will be responsible for the pet; it is always the adult's responsibility.
• The person receiving the pet must have thought carefully about it and expressed a clear desire to live with a pet and be capable of caring for it responsibly. In this regard, your contribution can be to accompany them to the shelter and help them in the adoption process
• It is not a good idea to give someone an animal as a surprise. On the contrary, it is essential for all members of the family to be involved in the process of searching for and choosing a pet. Participation promotes the creation of an emotional bond between the family and the animal.
• Adopt according to your lifestyle: take into account the time you can spend with the pet, your resources, what you do in your free time, etc. At the time of adoption, it is very important to ensure that the physical and emotional needs of the dog or cat will be met. Never let yourself be carried away by the physical appearance or other more superficial features of the animal.
• Finally, if you have made the decision to adopt an animal that will become part of your family, we strongly recommend that it should not be brought home on the days when toys are traditionally received, to avoid conveying the wrong message to children.

For responsible adoption, now and always.