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Do you remember FurReal toys? They probably still exist, but I remember one year when I was little, the FurReal Friends cat was a hot toy for Christmas. And I wanted it. Bless her, my mom managed to get one. I woke up Christmas morning to an orange-and-white robo-kitty. It was pretty cool. Electronic toys were a little bit of a novelty even then. And it was like having a cuddly kitty, too! Well, in a janky robot sort of way. But as is sometimes the case with children and their toys, I got bored of it after a while. I’ve never wanted to give pets as gifts, for any holiday or occasion, for that very reason. But animatronic toys aren’t real pets, and I’m no expert. So what do the actual authorities think about gifting pets?
Reasons to Gift
Anyone who has been lucky enough to have a pet in their life understands the joy that pets bring. It goes without saying why we might want to give that joy to someone we love. That’s not to mention all the homeless pets out there who deserve a family. But I had heard my whole life it’s a bad idea to give pets as gifts. I was surprised to learn how much support there is in the animal welfare and rescue community for the practice.
Starting in the 1990s, several research groups studied the reasons that people surrender animals to shelters (1, 2, 3). The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) followed up with a study that specifically considered pets given as gifts (3). In 1999, Scarlett et al. surveyed pet owners who surrendered their cats and dogs to county animals shelters with a focus on any “health and personal issues” that influenced them to do so (1). Of the ten major reasons given, the pet being an unwanted gift came dead last for both cats and dogs (1). The #1 reason? For cats, it was allergies, and for dogs, it was not having enough time (1).
New, Jr. et al. compared surrendered pets and their former owners to homed pets and their owners (2). They considered the source of the pets as a possible factor, and in some cases there was a significant difference. For example, cats and dogs purchased from pet shops were more likely to be given up (2). But the proportion of pets that had been gifts was the same in shelters as in homes (2). In other words, it made no difference in the rate of surrender that an animal had been a gift.
Most recently, the ASPCA decided to take a hard look at what happens when we give pets as gifts. In their 2013 study, they created a telephone survey to find and interview people who had been given a pet in the past ten years (3). The three survey questions of interest were:
- Were you involved, in any manner, in the selection process of the pet that you received as a gift?
- Did receiving a pet as a gift increase, decrease, or have no impact on your love or attachment to the pet?
- Is that pet still with you?
Most people said that they were either involved in picking out their gifted pet, or they were were surprised and okay with that (3). 97.2% reported that receiving their pet as a gift either didn’t change how much love/attachment they felt or actually increased it (3). Only seven of the 222 pet owners surveyed said that they felt less attached because their pet was a gift (3). Only 9.8% said that the pet was now in a new home (3). In the vast majority of cases, respondents still had the pet, but about as many had since died as been rehomed (3).
To summarize all those numbers, the data suggest that most of the time, the gift of a pet is appreciated. So these days, more animal welfare groups and rescue organizations support giving pets as gifts. After all, one of their primary goals is to get as many pets as possible into forever homes. As long as those gifted animals aren’t being returned to sender, at least no more than any others, then it’s just another way to get pets out of shelters and into loving homes.
Reasons Not to Gift
Contradicting all of that painstaking research are the statements of shelter staff and volunteers who say that surrenders see a surge around the holidays. Audra Stillabower, a Veterinary Information Specialist at the Pet Poison Helpline who worked in shelters for eight years, reports a spike in surrenders both before and after the holiday season (4). Before, because people are surrendering older pets to make way for new ones, and after because people realize they don’t want that live holiday present after all (4). Executive Director Cheryl Miller of the Wichita County, Texas Humane Society echoes that sad sentiment (5).
“I would bet we get at least ten calls a week with people having animals that ‘we just don’t have time,’ ‘this was given to us as a gift,'” says Anne Halbert of January at her Nebraska shelter, Start Over Rover (6). How can this be the case when there is so much data to support the position that people don’t usually abandon gifted pets? I couldn’t find an answer. I wonder if location makes a difference. Gina Knepp, a spokesperson for Front Street Animal Shelter in Sacramento, California, said “We don’t see a higher rate of abandonments during this time of year as compared to other times of the year” (7).
I don’t know about Wichita County, but I know that Nebraska tends to get a lot of wintry weather, and Sacramento very much does not. I could see why the best time to get a new puppy that needs to go outside, like, every twenty minutes wouldn’t be when there’s two feet of snow on the ground. It’s just a theory, though, and the weather probably wouldn’t have as much of an impact on whether someone kept a new cat or not. Whatever the reason for the discrepancy, we know that some gifted pets are “returned.” If you choose to give a pet as a gift, it’s your responsibility to think some things through first. And if you are not absolutely certain that the person is interested in a pet, do not give them a pet (4, 7-10).
The Best Way to Give a Gift that Keeps on Purring
It is very important for a new pet to fit well with their new owner and that person’s life. There are a couple ways that you, as the one intending to give the pet, can ensure that your gift is a good one. One is to take the recipient with you and pick out the pet together (4, 8, 10). Another is to buy an adoption certificate instead of a pet and give that as the gift (7, 8, 9). Adoption certificates are offered at many shelters and allow you to pay the adoption fees without taking home a pet. Then, the recipient can go pick out whatever pet they want. Or, if they decide they don’t want a pet, the gift ends up being a donation to the shelter in the honor. That’s not a bad deal either.
In terms of presentation, a cute suggestion is tying a note or adoption certificate to a plush/toy pet (9). After all, live animals don’t really belong in wrapped boxes, under Christmas trees, etc. The only pet I can think of that is appropriate to actually package up would be sea monkeys. Maybe an ant farm? But that’s it. No matter what the movies sometimes tell us.
Because pets are expensive, it would be courteous to provide some extras with the pet, especially if you know the recipient doesn’t have all the equipment already. Maybe wrap up a pet starter kit to give them the day of the holiday or special occasion (7, 8).
If you decide to give pets as gifts this holiday season or any time in the future, do so wisely but also in the knowledge that the data says it is a good way to give animals loving homes. And remember, adopt, don’t shop! Choose to give pets from shelters and rescues. Even purebred cats and dogs and unusual pet species can be found in these places. Don’t purchase a pet from a breeder when there are homeless ones waiting for that special someone already. I don’t know about you, but saving an animal’s life sounds like an amazing gift to me.
Works Cited
- Scarlett, J.M., Salman, M.D., New Jr., J.D., Kass, P.H. (1999). Reasons for relinquishment of companion animals in U.S. animal shelters: Selected health and personal issues. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 2(1), 41-57. doi: 10.1207/s15327604jaws0201_4
- New Jr., J.D., Salman, M.D., King, M., Scarlett, J.M., et al. (2000). Characteristics of shelter-relinquished animals and their owners compared with animals and their owners in U.S. pet-owning households. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 3(3), 179-201. doi: 10.1207/S15327604JAWS0303_1
- Weiss, E., Dolan, E.D., Garrison, L., Hong, J., et al. (2013). Should dogs and cats be given as gifts? Animals, 3, 995-1001. doi: 10.3390/ani3040995
- Stillabower, A. (n.d.). Giving animals as Christmas gifts. Pet Poison Helpline. https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/blog/giving-animals-christmas-gifts/
- Connor, C. (2019, December 3). Plan ahead before giving pets as a Christmas gift. News Channel 6 Now. https://www.newschannel6now.com/2019/12/04/plan-ahead-before-giving-pets-christmas-gift/
- Dickeson, K. (2019, December 4). Animal shelters advise against giving pets as holiday gifts. KSNB Local 4 Hastings. https://www.ksnblocal4.com/content/news/Animal-shelters-advise-against-giving-pets-as-holiday-gifts-565809791.html
- Escalante, E. (2018, December 18). Pets as Christmas gifts: Why shelters say it’s okay to give a pet as a gift. ABC 10. link here
- Picard, C. (2019, July 24). Why pets can make good gifts, according to animal adoption experts. Good Housekeeping. Retrieved from https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/pets/a28410545/why-pets-make-good-gifts/
- Mettler, L. (n.d.). Pets as presents: A good idea? Petfinder.com. https://www.petfinder.com/pet-adoption/dog-adoption/pets-as-presents/
- Oregon Veterinary Medical Association. (2017, December 18). Giving pets as gifts: Consider the choice carefully. https://oregonvma.org/care-health/basics/giving-pets-gifts
Published December 7th, 2020
Updated May 12th, 2023
We love all our adopted/rescued animals. We even rescued fish once. The certificate idea is perfect.