Shelters to the Rescue

Let me clarify something, shelters do want you to adopt their animals. They want nothing more than their animals to be taken into warm, loving homes. But, there is an issue that arises when holidays are in the equation.

This may seem like the best time of the year for shelters to show off their animals. Everyone wants a kitten or puppy for Christmas, right? There is one tiny little problem with this way of thinking. Adopting an animal for the holidays does not mean they are just in a home for the holidays. Adopting an animal means bringing them into the family and providing a forever home.

The Helping Hands Humane Society in Topeka, Kansas, reported that they see about a 5% bump in admissions after the holidays. However, in past years, they have taken back animals even a couple of months into the new year.

Several other rescues and shelters report increases in admissions and abandonments after Christmas. It was calculated by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, that three pets were abandoned every hour between December 23 and December 27, 2010.

Not all shelters and rescues see this increase, but it is enough to make a difference.

If you want to give an animal as a gift or bring an animal into your family, you should think through this decision. Adoption is not something you do on a whim. Adoption is a promise to the animal that you will love and support them.