Don't give a pet as a gift
“Give gifts that can be switched off, packed away or ignored when the novelty wears off.”
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in South Africa supports and endorses responsible pet adoption. What the association doesn’t support is the giving of pets as surprise presents.
The SPCA says they are faced with problems specifically over the festive season. “Have you ever thought about the number of animals brought into SPCAs after Christmas? They’re the ones that have probably been “impulse buys” at Christmas but what happens when the novelty has worn off or it’s time to go back to school?” says the SPCA on its website.
The SPCA tries to explain it as follows: “The children beg for a pet. The first day, the poor animal is overwhelmed with attention, the second day it’s less of an attraction and by the third day, it’s a case of “Who’s going to clean up the mess?” with calls of “It’s your dog!” and “No, it’s not! It’s YOUR dog!” going back and forth until somebody eventually cleans up the mess. Three to four weeks down the line – you’ve guessed.
The SPCA says they do not discourage adoptions but aim to ensure that any adoptions are seriously considered moves and that the animal will have a home for life. In the run-up to the festive season every year; the NSPCA media office say it receives calls enquiring about abandonment of pets and / or adoption rates at SPCAs. But one important issue highlighted by the NSPCA press officer but overlooked by callers was how many pets are handed in at SPCAs after the festive season.
In the UK, an ad campaign run by the RSPCA read: - “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.” That’s our point. A knowing decision to adopt a pet and make a commitment to the animal for the rest of its life is applauded and is the only responsible way to go about things. This is pet adoption.
Pets are not toys. When the fun has gone out of non-living gifts, they can be switched off, packed away or simply ignored.
The SPCA advises people to give gifts that can be put to one side when the novelty wears off.
The SPCA says they are faced with problems specifically over the festive season. “Have you ever thought about the number of animals brought into SPCAs after Christmas? They’re the ones that have probably been “impulse buys” at Christmas but what happens when the novelty has worn off or it’s time to go back to school?” says the SPCA on its website.
The SPCA tries to explain it as follows: “The children beg for a pet. The first day, the poor animal is overwhelmed with attention, the second day it’s less of an attraction and by the third day, it’s a case of “Who’s going to clean up the mess?” with calls of “It’s your dog!” and “No, it’s not! It’s YOUR dog!” going back and forth until somebody eventually cleans up the mess. Three to four weeks down the line – you’ve guessed.
The SPCA says they do not discourage adoptions but aim to ensure that any adoptions are seriously considered moves and that the animal will have a home for life. In the run-up to the festive season every year; the NSPCA media office say it receives calls enquiring about abandonment of pets and / or adoption rates at SPCAs. But one important issue highlighted by the NSPCA press officer but overlooked by callers was how many pets are handed in at SPCAs after the festive season.
In the UK, an ad campaign run by the RSPCA read: - “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.” That’s our point. A knowing decision to adopt a pet and make a commitment to the animal for the rest of its life is applauded and is the only responsible way to go about things. This is pet adoption.
Pets are not toys. When the fun has gone out of non-living gifts, they can be switched off, packed away or simply ignored.
The SPCA advises people to give gifts that can be put to one side when the novelty wears off.
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