No one sets out to adopt an animal, and provide it a loving home, only to return it soon after.
Sadly, however, it does happen.
There also is a stereotype of cats and dogs—particularly puppies—that are adopted and given as Christmas presents, but – well-intentioned as it may be – they are only to be returned a few weeks later.
Does this happen? Yes.
Should it discourage you from considering animal adoption this holiday season?
Absolutely not. Animal shelters and humane societies have increasingly done their due diligence as the year’s progress to vet each and every potential adopter to make sure that an adopter is a right fit for a dog or cat. Adoption applications ask pertinent and key questions to help determine if a family, its collective schedule, and its environment are conducive to a successful adoption.
A pug, for example, with its low exercise requirements and sensitivity to extreme temperatures, is well suited to apartment living. That same apartment-dwelling family looking to adopt, say, a border collie? That’s most likely not a great fit.
These are questions asked by the various adoption organizations and, if the agency doesn’t feel the pet and potential owner are a good fit, they won’t adopt the animal.
“I think the most important thing about adoption is that you carefully vet each application to make sure these people are able to take care of the animal, and they are financially able to give it health care,” said Angela Hatfield, director of the Belmont County Humane Society in St. Clairsville. “We do home visits. We check out the people very thoroughly and check their references and vet references.
“We like to believe that most people adopted during the holidays, if everything checks out, are good pet owners.”
The humane society cares for and adopts only cats. Hatfield noted that, while her facility has had cats returned throughout the year, it’s never been specifically a post-Christmas problem.
“We’ve had cats returned throughout the year, but it’s not a situation confined to the holidays,” Hatfield said. “It usually ends up being a long time the person has the pet, but whether they get an illness or a death in the family, a divorce, or someone has to relocate to a place where they are unable to keep the pet, it can happen any day of the year. We’ve had some returned, but that number is really very few compared to the numbers we’ve adopted out.
Cats vs. Dogs
The stereotype of the Christmas present depicted in film and on the small screen is that of a cute little puppy popping its head out of a wrapped box, surprising a young child, or a family member, on Christmas morning.
It’s a heartwarming moment.
Who wouldn’t want a puppy?
Kittens are a welcome addition to a household too, but traditionally, it’s the puppies that garner the most attention. It’s also puppies that require the most work, which is likely where the post-holiday return adoption stigma originates.
“Puppies require so much more training and care,” Hatfield said. “That’s the difference between cats and dogs. When people return a puppy, a lot of times, they aren’t committed to the three months of solid training that it takes really to get the animal acclimated into the household and get it house-trained.
“When I was at the shelter and we had dogs returned after a few months, you could tell that no training was done with them. They were still going in the house.”
Time is another key component of the adoption questionnaire according to Hatfield. How many days will the dog or cat be left alone, and for how long? Is it two days a week? Five? Seven? During the holiday break, there’s usually at least someone home, whether that be a parent or at least the family’s children, that can care for and help train an animal.
But once break ends, children return to school, and parents to their regular work schedules, so who’s left to look after the animals?
Even the most easygoing of dogs, ones that require little in the way of exercise by comparison to other breeds, will not do well stuffed in a crate 8-10 hours per day, every day, while the family is gone.
“I generally don’t adopt to people that are never home,” Hatfield said. “Any animal requires that you have a human presence with it. If not, it’s a disservice to the animal.
“When I adopted my last puppy, it was probably three months of solid training and he eventually turned into a really great dog. But it’s work. Puppies aren’t for people who are not committed.”
Hatfield also feels that you find more first-time owners with dogs and puppies. They like the idea of owning a puppy but maybe have never done so themselves.
It can happen with cats and kittens too, but not nearly as often.
“When people are adopting a cat, for very few, is it their first time,” Hatfield said. “It happens, but it’s few and far between. Most of them already have one or more cats, or have owned cats in the past and are lifelong cat lovers.”
Set Up to Succeed
A potential pet should be a good fit for the adopter too, not just in terms of environment and finances, but also the person to pet. Do their personalities mesh? Is there that instant connection upon meeting?
The opportunity to provide an animal with a loving home should never be overlooked just because of the time of year, but given the unique nature of the holiday season, some modifications could be considered.
Parents wanting to get a puppy for their children for Christmas could, instead of presenting one under the tree, inform the children Christmas morning that the family is getting a puppy, but wait until they can all go together to find just the right one.
That way, all members of the family will get to meet and interact with that puppy or kitten – or adult pet – to see how they get along. That also will allow for total attention to be placed upon said animal once it enters the home.
Even a new pet can easily be lost in the shuffle and even overwhelmed amidst large family gatherings. There’s a lot of newness going on for both adopter and animal during an adoption, let alone throwing in everything that a holiday celebration entails.
Another aspect to consider is if there are already other animals in the home. A surprise adoption also doesn’t give other dogs or cats in the family a chance to be “tested out” with the new addition prior to making the adoption official.
Dogs, being pack animals by nature, are stereotypically more willing to welcome a new family member into the fold. But is the family’s older dog willing to tolerate the energy and playfulness of a puppy or kitten? And some dogs, just like some cats, just don’t want any competition. They want to be the only pet in the household. That’s why you’ll see “good with other dogs, cats, and kids,” or “not good with” designations for pets on adoption web pages.
In terms of cats, a family may have two cats already that get along great. But throwing a third in the mix, especially without taking proper integration steps, could turn a calm family dynamic into a disastrous situation.
“You have to do the research on integration because it’s a huge part of a successful adoption,” Hatfield said. “I can tell the people who have listened and performed a controlled integration versus the ones that didn’t.”
When bringing a new cat into a house with cats, it’s never a good idea to just plop the kitten or new adult cat down in the middle to “say hello.”
At a minimum, the new cat should be kept in a separate room from the others for a few days. Given the current residents a chance to get introduced to the new sounds, and in particular, smells, of the new cat. If the old cats are hissing or growling through the door, take it as a sign to give all involved a few more days to get introduced, behind the safety of a closed door.
The American Humane Society has a detailed introduction plan to follow for integrating new cats into the home.
