December 6, 2007

Whether young or old, there's few people who wouldn't love to spend Christmas morning playing with a warm, fuzzy new pet. As consumers stroll malls across the country, they will undoubtedly pass a pet store or two, and not be able to resist the big doughy eyes of a puppy or kitten.

But animal shelter reps warn against impromptu pet buying. So if you do decide to bring a pet home this holiday season though, we recommend the following;

Before going to a pet store or online, check with your local shelter. Often pets come vaccinated and ready to go – and they have purebreds, too. You can take one home for, in some cases, as little as $10 or even for free. That's compared to price tags reaching hundreds of dollars and up from pet stores and breeders.

Most shelters will require the future owner to go through a screening process before the pet can be taken home – so rule out surprise pet giving.

Make sure the breed, size, energy level, etc. are compatible with your lifestyle.

Finally, keep in mind that training a puppy is time consuming. Adult animals are already house trained and it's likely you'll know exactly how it's going to act, too.

Thousands of dogs are needlessly put down each year, looked over for a pet store puppy – a puppy that if purchased on a whim, could end up in a shelter by the new year.

It's a great idea to think about giving a pet a new home, so make sure you've thought it through before signing on that dotted line - for your sake, and the animal's.

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