Think twice before putting a puppy under the tree

If you buy an iPod for your girlfriend on Christmas Eve because the color matches her eyes, that's cute.

Buying a puppy on impulse because it will look soooo adorable under the Christmas tree is not cute.

"The notion of having a cute puppy or kitten under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning is very sentimental, but we really try to discourage it," says Sarah Hill, executive director of Anderson Animal Shelter in South Elgin.

"There are so many unwanted animals, and so many of them are gifts," says Dana Deutsch, shelter manager for Save-A-Pet Adoption Center in Grayslake. "We're keeping an eye on any of our puppy adoptions right now -- because of Christmas. It's just like impulse buying. It's impulse adopting."

While some pet shelters won't even offer puppies or kittens for adoption during the holidays, it can be a wonderful time of the year to add a pet to a home if done properly, experts say.

A "Home 4 the Holidays" pet-adoption campaign that began in 1999 at the Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego is now an international effort in conjunction with Iams pet food and supply company. The program aims to put 410,000 pets in new homes before Jan. 3, says Trisha St. George, a spokeswoman for the effort.

"We're comfortable adopting out this time of year because our adoption process is thorough," says Hill, whose Anderson Shelter is part of that effort.

Cats, dogs and other pets are "supposed to be part of the family, not property," says Deutsch, who rejects people who just want to surprise a loved one with a pet under the tree. Everyone in the household, including other pets, should get to know the new pet, and see if it's a good match before bringing the animal home.

"Animal people, true animal people, they are completely understanding," Deutsch says. "People who don't get it, they get (upset) about it. We try to educate and explain why."

People who buy puppies from places that just want to make a sale often bring the dogs back after New Year's Day as if an animal were just another ugly sweater.

"In January we'll have a lot of returns because they were gifts gone bad," says Deutsch, noting those animals generally don't come from shelters. "They just think it's a cute idea. They don't take into consideration that it's an animal. It's supposed to be part of the family, not property."

While a sign in the window of Petland in Hoffman Estates reads "Holiday Sale!! Puppies for Christmas!!," general manager Joshua Castro says the key is to make sure buyers understand the lifelong responsibility and economic considerations that come with each purchase.

"Everybody wants a puppy for Christmas. It's just all about education," Castro says.

If you simply must give a pet as a surprise gift, "get an adoption certificate," advises Elaine Wood, shelter services manager for the Woodward Center. "Let the person go down to the shelter and pick out the pet that will work. It's not an inanimate object. It's another life."

There are plenty of unwanted and rejected animals (including rodents, birds, fish and reptiles) that need homes for the holidays and beyond. They just need to find the right people.

"An animal is supposed to be a family member and a lifelong commitment," Deutsch says. "If that's what they (shoppers) want, that would be great."