Pets at Christmas Time. Is it a good idea to give a pet as a gift at Christmas?.

Pets at Christmas Time.

Is it a good idea to give a pet as a gift at Christmas?

Giving a puppy, kitten, rabbit or any pet for Christmas may seem a great idea at the time.

When you see that adorable little furr or purr baby looking at you and you simply can’t resist giving the pet to a friend or family member as a surprise, seems a great idea and I am sure when they see the pet for the first time, they too love this adorable little furr baby.

But is a pet a gift?

Pets are living breathing animals which totally depend on people to take care of them for their entire life. Which can be 12 plus years.

Yes pets bring so much love, joy and enrich the lives of those that own a pet. But can bring sadness and frustration to those that do not have the means nor willingness to care for a pet, not only does this affect the human life but the life of the pet.

Every year the weeks following Christmas Pounds, Shelters and Rescue Centres fill with these beautiful cute furr and purr babies that were Christmas gifts and have been rejected by their new unwilling owners.

We at Pets Please want all pets on our website www.petsplease.com.au to go to homes that want them, to be loved, enjoyed and respected for their entire life.

Make sure that the person who will be receiving this very important new family member is a willing precipitant, that they are able to provide the best of care to this new pet.

All the same considerations have to be made when purchasing a pet for someone else as it would be if you were purchasing a pet for your own family.

-          Where do they live – Apartment – House with a small or large backyard – Acreage?

-          Do they rent are they allowed a pet at their house/apartment.

-          Can they afford the ongoing cost of a pet such as, food, grooming, bedding, fencing, yearly Vet checks and vaccinations and training?

-          The lifestyle of the new owner – are they an active person and would like a running companion, or sedate person and would like a quiet lapdog or cat.

-          Are they a cat lover or dog lover?

-          Do they suffer from allergies

-          Are they home enough to care for a pet?

-          Do they travel a lot and will they be leaving the pet at home alone for long periods of time.

-          Make sure they are home after Christmas to take care of this new family member and that they aren’t going away, if they go away who is going to take care of this new pet?

-          One other thing to consider is the bigger the pet the bigger the costs will be.

When you can answer all these questions and still think this is a great idea.

MAKE SURE THEY KNOW AND REALLY WANT A PET.

Remember it won’t be a good surprise if they don’t want a pet, but if they are involved in the decision and help you to make the best choose of pet for them, the surprise will be meeting this beautiful new family member on Christmas day.

Then it will be a Happy Christmas and a Happy Ever After.