SPCA: Pets aren’t a good surprise gift

By Mo Cranker on December 17, 2018.

NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
SPCA kennel assistant Joe Schafer stands with six-month-old Bastian Saturday at the shelter. The SPCA is reminding Hatters that pets are not a good surprise gift and that families should always talk before adopting an animal.

mcranker@medicinehatnews.com @MHNmocranker

With Christmas around the corner, the Medicine Hat SPCA is reminding Hatters that pets are not a good surprise gift idea.

“Whether it’s your kid, a girlfriend or boyfriend or any other member of the family — a pet for Christmas just isn’t usually a good idea,” said kennel assistant Joe Schafer. “When you’re adding a new animal to the house, they really need a calm environment to make adjustments and to settle in.

“With the house being super busy at the Holidays, it’s just not really a good time to bring a new pet into the mix.”

Schafer says besides the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season, there’s a couple other reasons why a new pet may not be a great idea.

“Pets are live, beautiful, unique, loving creatures,” she said. “Since all pets are so unique and we are all so unique, we want to make sure that people get a pet they can bond with properly — people really need to come in and visit with the pets before they bring one home.

“Pets are also big responsibilities. Some pets can live 20 years — they need food, shelter, vet care and a lot of time and attention.

“People need to be ready for a pet.”

Schafer says families or groups are always welcome to visit the SPCA to visit pets to adopt as gifts, but communication from everyone is essential.

“People are welcome to come in whenever we’re open to look at the animals and the pets love it,” she said. “Purchasing an animal as a surprise gift just isn’t a good idea and it can be really tough on the person receiving the pet and it’s really hard on the pet.”

Schafer says the SPCA’s goal is for every adoption to be a forever adoption and she added that the group is still very overloaded with cats.