Do you know anyone whose last-minute gift ideas include a dog or cat? The ASPCA would like to remind animal lovers how to make wise choices when considering adding a furry member to the household—particularly during the holiday season.
Many families purchase puppies from pet stores, the newspaper, or even online, but the ASPCA cautions that the puppies you see in pet shops most likely came from a puppy mill—large-scale, inhumane, commercial breeding operations known for housing dogs in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions. To learn more about what goes on at puppy mills, and what you can do to fight them, please visit ASPCA.org.
For those who want to give a pet as a gift, the ASPCA, along with many animal shelters around the country, promotes gift certificates that allow recipients to choose the pet of their choice. Our ASPCA Adoption Center in New York City offers a “Gift-A-Pet” certificate whereby the giver pays the adoption fee of a cat or kitten for a loved one, and the recipient then selects the furry friend best suited to her family.
“Pets can be our most loyal companions, providing us with unconditional love,” says ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres. “At the ASPCA, we understand this bond and hope that potential pet parents consider adoption their best option. Local animal shelters offer many choices, whether your preference is dog or cat, small or large, purebred or lovable mutt. If you’re ready to make the commitment, then adopting an animal in need, and receiving that animal’s unconditional love, is truly a gift for any holiday."
You can also wrap up a pet toy or pet-related items, such as pet care books and kits or gift certificates as a post-holiday adoption promise. The expectation of a new pet’s arrival can be fun, especially for children, since the whole family will have the time to properly plan and choose the right companion animal. Thanks for reading—and please forward this information to anyone you know who may be considering giving a pet as a present.
Wiggly Pups 