Help avoid pets being returned to shelters

Thinking about getting a pet for your friends or family this holiday season?

Please, if you are you should not have it as a surprise. Hundreds of animals are returned to pet shelters because people are not ready to take care of an animal, they don’t like animals, or the animal has behavioral issues that they are not able to deal with.

A pet becomes part of the family and it is important that you know how to take care of them. Buying an animal should not be a spontaneous thing. They are living, breathing and they need lots of care. Yes, bunny rabbits are cute and need less care then dogs but they still need their cages cleaned almost daily and lots of attention. That applies to lots of other animals. If you are set on buying a dog, cat or other pet for someone, you could buy a dog leash or cat toy and promise to take them to a shelter so they can pick out an animal that they can bond with. Also, it is hard for the animal to adjust to a new house after being adopted and with the added excitement of the holiday season it might be too much for the animal to handle.

Adopting a pet should be a toughly thought through process and you need to be completely ready. Although pets are great even if they are a lot of work

This story was originally published December 25, 2016 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Help avoid pets being returned to shelters."