All I want for Christmas is a Puppy or Kitten!!

This time of year, parents are often faced with their children asking Santa for a puppy or kitten for Christmas and no matter how much you want to get everything on their wish list for Christmas morning, a new puppy or kitten under the tree is not the best decision.  The holiday season is full of family, trips, company and events and no time for a new family member.  New puppies and kittens need a lot of attention and a quiet transition from litter mates to human mates.  Training a new animal, getting them on a schedule and dealing with the events of Christmas is a hardship that can quickly turn a cute Christmas gift into surrendering Santa’s little helper to a shelter.  If you are thinking about adding a new family member, we suggest you wait until January or February or consider adopting an older dog or cat, perhaps from a shelter, who may not add the same stress to the family dynamic.  A puppy or kitten is not a decision to be made lightly and make sure all of your family are on board.  The first blush of excitement of a new puppy or kitten is hard to maintain for young family members over the Christmas season.  Statistics show that animal shelters get more animals surrendered in the weeks and months after the 25th of December than the rest of the year.