Think twice, it's all right

By: Lara Oliver

Posted: 12/4/08

It's that time of year again. Time to run around in a panic trying to find the perfect gift for your best friend. Time to cut your fingers all to heck on wrapping paper and bows. Time to stress out over the amount of debt put on your credit cards. Time to buy your significant other a puppy?

The gigantic Marley and Me advertisements popping up in movie theaters, a larger than life Labrador Retriever wearing a red bow indicating Christmas gift status, reminded me of a problem I dealt with a lot working in animal shelters back in high school--abandoned pets. It might seem like a gigantic leap of logic to go from "adorable puppy present" to "sad abandoned dog," but it really isn't.

My shelter, like many others, allowed people who couldn't, or didn't want to take care of their pets, to drop them off with us. This type of policy is implemented for people who find themselves unable to financially support a pet anymore, but what we saw most often were people who just didn't want their pets anymore. Surrenders ranged from cat owners sick of scratched sofas, disinterested children getting rid of their rabbits and parents dropping off the family dog once Junior had gone off to college. Our front doors became a depressing show of how short "forever" can be when kids promise to love an animal that long.

It's this type of disinterest that makes buying a pet as a present so dangerous. Sure, it may seem like a sweet idea to get your girlfriend a puppy for Christmas, but do you even know if she can take care of one? Feeding, walking, vet bills, insurance, basic grooming --these expenses all add up, especially for the average college student. That isn't even including pet deposits, limited apartment options and the price of a pet sitter when you want to take a vacation.

If that isn't dissuading enough, when talking with one of the workers at a shelter in town, I learned that one of the major rescues the shelter often does involve saving abandoned dogs and cats from homes when students go on vacation. I even learned that one girl had left a bag of food open in her kitchen, locked the door and left for two weeks, I guess assuming the dog could call 911 if a fire erupted and it needed a way out. I also found out that many students along the Tar River had abandoned their pets during the heavy flooding, forcing volunteers to break into homes to save dogs and cats from drowning.

I don't think most people that adopt pets in college are anything like these terrible examples, but I can't help but worry when talking with people planning to give animals as a gift. While the reaction after presenting someone with a puppy certainly seems like a great way to earn brownie points, it's important to keep in mind how permanent that little critter will be.

So, if you're thinking about buying a pet for someone thinking they'll be "different," just ask yourself something - if that person couldn't take care of the animal anymore, would you take it?

This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.