The holiday season is in full swing, and for some, this means adding a new furry family member. 

“Around the holidays, people sometimes get excited and think that this might be a really fun time to bring an animal home or maybe get my kiddos their first pet,” said Animal Allies Humane Education Manager Nicole Facciotto.

Although bringing a pet home may be fun, giving one as a gift is not recommended. 

“We do offer gift certificates for people that are thinking a new furry friend may be an awesome gift but want to allow the person that’s going to be owning this animal the opportunity to get to know them and choose for themselves, a gift certificate is the absolutely best route to go,” Facciotto explained.  “The gift certificate can be used towards adopting an animal, our entire retail section, we’ve got stuff for the animal in your life or the animal lover in your life, so if you’re looking to do some holiday shopping this afternoon, definitely swing by Animal Allies.” 

The Animal Allies website updates every day at 10:30am with the most updated information on the dogs and cats available for adoption. 

“We’re getting new animals all the time,” Facciotto said. “They go through an intake process just to ensure they’re healthy, we know their behaviors, and they’re ready to walk out the door.” 

Adopting a pet is a decision that should be carefully thought through. 

“The biggest thing we tell people to do before adopting to be prepared is to just really take a look at your day-to-day life,” explained Facciotto. “What does your everyday life look like? Are you really active? Do you like to spend more time at home relaxing? And using that to judge what kind of pet you want to bring into your life.” 

The shelter has a ‘conversational adoption process’, allowing new owners to spend time with their furry friend before bringing it home. 

“We encourage people to come in, tell us what it is that they’re looking for, what their lifestyle is, what they have going on at home, and then we help match them with the animals we have here since we spend a lot of time getting to know their personalities, their likes, their dislikes,” said Facciotto. “It’s pretty straight-forward and easy. We just really want to work with you to make sure that we’re going to find you a pet that’s going to be great for your lifestyle, and we’ve got our walking trails and play yards and get acquainted rooms. You can spend as much time as you need getting to know the animals and making sure that it’s definitely going to be the right fit and you’re comfortable and confident taking them home.”

Adopting a pet affects everyone in the household, so each family member should be prepared to help out, especially if the pet is young. 

“If you're thinking of getting a puppy or a kitten for the holidays, maybe as a gift, just remember that they do get bigger, and they are going to go through those growing stages,” said Facciotto. “Just make sure that you and your entire household is ready to help that animal get through the learning curve, help them work through their maybe little naughty behaviors, and make sure that you as an entire household is ready to accommodate.”

To see the original report and read related stories, follow this link to the WDIO-TV website. https://www.wdio.com/news/holiday-pets/6327250/