The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
ARE XMAS PUPPIES FORGOTTEN AFTER THE HOLIDAYS?
Shelters prepare for heavy foot traffic during holiday season
For most children, a cute puppy topped with a bow under the Christmas tree would be nothing short of a delightful way to start off an exciting holiday morning.
However, what happens if the newness of a puppy or kitten fades and the burden of responsibility takes hold shortly after the holidays?
Some local animal rescues and shelters said an increase in pet adoptions can lead to an influx of animals returning to a shelter or being abandoned on the street.
“Buying the kids the Christmas puppy is a big thing,” said Micci Price, president of Safe Harbor Animal Rescue, 2949 Hayes St. in Avon. “That’s why a lot of rescues don’t like to have puppies at this time of year.
“It tends to be an emotional decision, then it’s, ‘Do we really want to deal with this dog?’”
Price said she regularly receives calls from people asking for advice or resources to turn to when they struggle with training or integrating a new dog into their home.
“I try to educate,” she said. “... Some people listen to what I have to say and some already have their minds made up.
“Depending on the dogs I have in at the time, if I can help I take them in, if I can’t, I would suggest a rescue.”
Whether picking up stray, lost or surrendered dogs, the Lorain County Dog Kennel also sees an influx in dogs from mid-December to the beginning of January.
In 2017, 96 dogs were taken in December and 60 in January.
The kennel holds an average of 25 to 30 dogs at a time, said dog warden Tim Pihlblad.
This increase is partly due to doors and gates left open during busy holiday, Pihlblad said.
“You just start seeing more dogs come in, and then when people are trying to buy dogs, right before the 24th and Christmas Day, everybody wants to buy a puppy,” said Chief Deputy Dog Warden Nelson Delgado. “But guess what happens generally?
“That puppy is back out somewhere (on the street). We see too much of that.”
However, according to a 2013 news release from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, seasonal pet adoptions may not lead to more surrendered animals.
As many as 86 percent of animals adopted as gifts
still reside with their families, the release said.
And 96 percent of responding owners said receiving a pet as a gift had no affect on their love or attachment to the animal, according to the release.
“The Christmas puppy phenomenon is something that came solely from animal shelters,” said Gregory Willey, executive director of the Friendship Animal Protective League, 8303 Murray Ridge Road in Elyria.
Returning home for the holidays
The Lorain County Dog Kennel plays a major part in keeping dogs off the streets, Delgado said.
In 2017, 1,053 dogs in the county were taken into the kennel.
Of those, over 1,000 dogs, 459 were adopted, 393 were picked up by their owner and 18 were euthanized due to behavioral issues and illness.
“Figure those 1,000 dogs are still on the street,” Pihlblad said.
“There’s no way with all those dogs running loose, that you can go anywhere,” Delgado said.
Pihlblad and Delgado said an essential way to ensure your lost dog will return safely is to get them fixed, to buy a license every year and keep a collar on your dog at all times.
Delgado said up to 40 percent of unfixed male dogs become aggressive when near a female dog in heat.
Unfixed male dogs also will refuse to leave the property an unfixed female is on, which contributes to a dog’s need to escape a house or yard.
A loose dog without a license can prove expensive for a pet owner.
Delgado said a police ticket written for a loose dog can be as much as a $300 fine in Lorain, $234 in Elyria and $150 in Oberlin and Vermilion.
Giving it time
For both the Safe Harbor
Animal Rescue and the county’s dog kennel, meetand-greets are an essential part of making sure animals find the best fit.
“We strongly suggest you do something we call a meet-and-greet, where you bring your dog in, see how they get along,” Pihlblad said. “If you got a cat, you can bring it in a carrier. If you’ve got kids, be sure to bring your kids up.”
Before finalizing a meetand-greet, Price also has potential adopters fill out an application to be sure a family fits specific requirements before becoming attached to the dog.
Pihlblad said the best way to ensure that a dog acclimates to a new home is to train them and give them time to adjust.
Upon adopting a dog, the county kennel offers a training assessment to allow an adopter to know a dog’s obedience needs.
“You gotta give it time; it’s not gonna happen over night,” Pihlblad said.