It might sound like a sweet idea to gift a friend or family member a dog or cat. In reality, you could be doing more harm than good for the animal and there are a number of reasons. First of all, adopting an animal is a major responsibility and sometimes when an animal is gifted to someone, the animal runs the risk of being mistreated or surrendered to a shelter.
That’s why Tia Barbara, shelter animal welfare manager and animal behaviorist with Cherryland Humane Society in Traverse City has some expert advice on this topic. She says if you want to gift a new animal, it might be best to first gift someone a dog leash or even water bowl instead, to let them know they should consider adopting. She says it’s smart to have the person first come to the humane society to meet the animal.
This way, people avoid the chances of having to surrender the animal if the situation does not work out.
Barbara also says the shelter staff at Cherryland have seen an influx of dogs and cats being surrendered during the pandemic. With a loss of jobs, housing, and other financial struggles, people are having to give up their animals. Barbara says to consider the stress we are feeling as humans with the lifestyle changes over the last few months and to take into account the impacts it has on our animal companions.
for a direct link to Cherryland Humane Society including the adoption applications and animals looking for their forever homes.
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