GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY — With Christmas right around the corner, you may be thinking about what to give and that may include gifting a dog or cat.
“Here at Cherryland Humane Society, we look at dogs and cats as a member of the family and that includes their lifetime,” said Communications and Marketing Manager at Cherryland Humane Society Naomi Pobuda.
But gifting a pet isn’t as easy as putting a bow on the dog or cat, there is a much bigger responsibility that comes along with it.
“A dog or cat isn’t a material thing. It’s a member of your family and they take a lot of time and work in money as well just to meet their daily needs. If you’re trying to give an animal to somebody as a present, you’re putting a lot on them, and maybe giving them something they’re not quite ready for,” said Pobuda. “Imagine how much money it costs just to provide simple things as food and enrichment for that animal.”
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And for someone who may not be ready for a pet or receives a pet that doesn’t get along with other animals in the household, that may mean going back to the shelter.
“Let’s have them come and meet, meet the animal here. And then it’s not so much a surprise in the home, but make sure that they’re ready for it by coming to the shelter and meeting them,” said Pobuda.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t give a pet at all.
“Maybe you say that person, guess what, I would love to get you a dog or a cat for Christmas if you were wanting to do this as well. And then for example, maybe that person would want to pay the adoption fee for that person so that they can come in and meet the dog or cat and then proceed from there,” said Pobuda.
Having the person or family member with you to pick out a perfect pet that aligns with their home life or even other pets make that experience better for pets and families.
“It is something and we want to make sure that people are ready for that perfect day,” said Pobuda.
If you want to give a gift to the Cherryland Humane Society you can you can click here to find their Amazon and Chewy wish lists, or you can drop off donations to them. Currently, the humane society said they are in need of pet safe salt and cleaning supplies.
