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You have the perfect idea for a Christmas gift for your children: Get them a puppy.
They've been asking for one anyway. Or maybe that beautiful homeless cat at the animal shelter would just make the best companion for Aunt Flo. Or the best way you can think of to tell your girlfriend that she's special is by getting her an adorable fuzzy little kitten.
A common misconception around the holidays is the "Lady and the Tramp" scenario: A man gives his wife the puppy she was eyeballing through the pet store window, complete with hatbox and pink ribbon. The real picture, however, isn't so pretty.
Pets are great fun and rewarding, too, but Christmas is a bad time to introduce an animal into a new home, experts say.
There is constant activity, stress and frayed nerves around the holidays, not to mention the potentially dangerous decorations and confections that can upset pets. Pets in new homes are scared and uncomfortable anyway. Would you really want to upset your future lifelong pal further by driving it crazy with holiday hustle and bustle?
Many animal shelters don't adopt out pets for the holidays. They don't want to deal two weeks later with the problem of people bringing in unwanted Christmas gifts.
Director of the Kosciusko County Animal Shelter Kirk Samuelson said the tradition at the shelter is to stop all adoptions a week before Christmas. Starting today, people can no longer adopt animals until Dec. 26. People can pick out an animal, but they will not be able to take it home until after Christmas. The reason for this is to discourage last-minute ideas to adopt a pet for someone. Samuelson said sometimes people get the last-minute idea to get a friend or family member a kitten or puppy and don't put much thought into it. This policy gives people more time to think about what they are doing.
Another option is to give the friend or family member a gift certificate for a pet from the shelter. With these certificates the person receiving the animal as a gift can go to the shelter and pick out their own pet, Samuelson said; it is never a good idea to pick out a pet for someone else.
If the holiday season is a stressful time to introduce new pets to the household, what about those current four-legged furry family members? These pets experience holiday stress too. Samuelson and Dr. Dennis Woodward, of the Warsaw Animal Hospital, have suggestions to lower stress levels and keep animals safe during the holidays.
Woodward said the main problems are decorations that animals like to chew on. Cats will attack anything that dangles, such as tinsel and icicles on Christmas trees, and pet owners must be careful their pets don't chew on these items and make themselves sick.
Another problem for pets can be holiday plants displayed in homes. These plants are strange to the pet and can make them sick if they try to eat them. These plants can cause severe intestinal problems in pets that could result in diarrhea and vomiting.
Electrical cords should be kept away from pets, too. Cords attached to colored lights can be enticing to animals, who like to chew on things. There is always the danger of electrocution, said Woodward.
Christmas cookies and chocolate can be potentially lethal to pets, but will more likely just cause stomach problems.
"It depends on the type of chocolate," said Woodward. "The potential is there (to be lethal)." However, it is very rare for an animal to die from small amounts of chocolate.
Samuelson advised keeping pets indoors during the holidays as it gets colder.
"Put ID tags on them," he said. The holidays are hectic enough without having to hunt down a pet that's wandered off, and the shelters are too crowded already, he said.
Samuelson also suggested changing a pet's water frequently, especially if it is outside. Water freezes quickly and dehydration becomes more of a problem in the winter.
Finally, Samuelson said, if a pet is to be a gift he suggests bringing the whole family in to pick out the new pet.
"Don't make it a one-person decision," he said.
