Pasadena Humane Reminds You to Think Twice Before Buying a Puppy

September 22,2024

Christmas is just around the corner, and as many of us scramble to find Christmas presents for the whole family, some of us are considering buying a puppy to surprise your children and make this the most memorable Christmas yet. Before you do this, Pasadena Humane wants to remind you to think twice, and to join them on Wednesday, December 16, to discuss this topic even further. In this webinar – titled “Do Puppies Make Good Christmas Gifts?” – Fernando Diaz, Behavior Manager at Pasadena Humane, gives the skinny on responsibly choosing a new dog. He’ll also share tips on a safe and happy relationship between your new furry family member and your kids. If you’re ever considering giving someone a pet this season, there are some pros and cons that you might have to think about before making that decision. While giving pets – usually puppies or kittens – may have been a long tradition for most Americans, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) recommends the giving of pets as gifts only to people who have expressed a sustained interest in owning one, and have shown the ability to care for it responsibly. ASPCA also recommends that pets to be given as gifts are better obtained from animal shelters, rescue organizations, friends, family or responsible breeders – not from places where the source of the animal is unknown or untrusted. The ASPCA recently conducted a survey to learn more about people who acquire pets as gifts and found out that 96 percent of the people who received pets as gifts thought it either increased or had no impact on their love or attachment to that pet. The vast majority of these pets – about 86 percent – are still in the home. The survey