ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The Christmas holiday is right around the corner, and many individuals and families are considering a furry new friend to adopt.
With that in mind, Liberal Animal Shelter Director Tara Logan said there are multiple factors to consider before making such a decision.
“I've actually gotten asked multiple times along the lines of 'Why do you discourage pet adoptions around Christmas?' because that time period immediately after the holidays have been kind of pigeonholed as the time when shelters are flooded with surrenders or returned adopted animals and all of that,” Logan said. “But the more research I've done into that, it's actually being discovered the return rate is not really that much higher after the holidays compared to the rest of the year. People fall on hard times at all times of the year, and there's not really any Christmas vacation in that regard. If you're thinking about adopting an animal as a Christmas present, we're not going to discourage you, but I would recommend instead of surprising the intended recipient, have some discussions with them and bring up the idea and gauge their reaction about how they would feel instead of basically saying 'Here's an animal I adopted for you!' and then that's it. Also, that way, the intended recipient – whether it's your spouse or child(ren) or friend or whoever – can come with you and be part of the selection process. It's not the best idea to just surprise someone like that and not let them give any input whatsoever.”
Logan added it is important to make sure the family home is ready for a new pet.
“If you want to adopt an animal, definitely plan ahead and make sure your house is ready for that. And if you get the animal right before Christmas, make sure your plans include that animal, because you don't want to adopt a new pet and then have to kennel it or take it to a boarding facility almost immediately while you go about your holiday travel plans,” Logan said. “It's hard for an animal to come into a new environment anyway, so you definitely want to give the animal some time to get acclimated to your place so it doesn't develop behavioral issues. Make sure there's ample time for you and your pet to get adjusted not only to each other but also to sharing your home. Another piece of advice I would give is make sure there's not a ton of foot traffic in your house immediately after you get your new pet, because again, they're already stressed out being in a new environment, and that could be exacerbated by a bunch of strangers coming in and out while it's still getting used to its new home.”
Logan said there are a few things people can do to prepare their homes.
“I've said this before, but preparing a home for a pet is almost like preparing a home for a newborn baby,” Logan said. “I want people to keep in mind there will be accidents – the animal is scared, they're still getting the lay of the land and routine, so there will probably be at least some accidents that will need to be cleaned up at some point. And when that does happen, don't yell at the animal or hit it, all that does is teach the animal to be scared of you, which isn't what you want to happen. If you're getting a younger animal, especially a puppy, make sure anything breakable is stored where it'll be safe and out of the way. Everything is new and scary for everyone involved, so a big thing is patience and time.”
There are multiple factors people should consider before officially making the decision to adopt a new pet.
“People need to consider a few things before adopting a new pet. They need to ask themselves do they have the time to dedicate to the pet, whether it's with training or simply being there to feed and water and shelter them,” Logan said. “It's always a fear of ours when we adopt out an animal that it'll spend the rest of its life being neglected with no interaction or any contact, so if you don't think you'll have the time to devote to being a pet owner, it might not be in the cards for you. People also need to keep in mind there will be veterinarian visits involved, so they also have to consider whether they have the resources to take care of that when those situations come up. A pet is a multi-year commitment – dogs can live up to 10 to 15 years, and cats are about the same, maybe even longer, so if you don't think you're ready for that kind of commitment, being a pet owner might not be in the cards for you.”
Logan added there is research to be done before adopting a pet.
“If you're interested in a pet, do some research to help you figure out what would work for you and your family – if you're interested in a dog, do the research on the breed(s) you're considering and figure out if that's the pet that would fit into your lifestyle, because some dogs are more active and need more stimulation and some are calmer and aren't quite as high-maintenance,” Logan said. “If you're thinking of a bigger dog breed, make sure you have the right amount of space for it so it can roam, and make sure your fence is in good shape so it can't just escape whenever it wants. If you're getting a cat, make sure it you can get it toys and food and water and a place for them to go if they're scared or overwhelmed. If you're planning on getting a new pet, you don't have to pin down all the minutiae details, but do have some plans in place so everyone's on the same page. If you happen to be renting, do you have the landlord's permission to have pets, and are there any extra deposits/costs, etc., associated with getting a new pet? If you have a house, is your yard pet-friendly? I.e., if you decide on a smaller dog, are there any weaknesses in the fence the animal could get through, or is it strong enough to help hold a larger dog, if that's what you end up adopting? And depending on what animal you adopt, is your home an adequate size? Cats usually make themselves at home just about anywhere, but if you're adopting a dog, you have to make sure there's adequate space for it to walk around and do dog stuff. There are also multiple costs associated with having a pet such as veterinary bills, grooming, food, vaccinations, etc., so you also have to keep in mind whether or not you can take all of that on – it's not a situation where you just pay the adoption fees at the shelter and then just go home and forget about everything else.”
Logan said she expects an increase in potential adoptive families in the coming weeks.
“I definitely expect to see people coming in in the coming weeks, because for some people, a new pet is a great gift. I would like to remind the community, however, we will have a veterinarian coming in Dec. 15 to spay/neuter the entire shelter, and we won't be adopting any of those animals out for a couple days since they'll be on pain meds and recovering from surgery and need to heal,” Logan said. “We'll have reduced adoption rates on those animals since they'll already be altered, so they'll only need to pay a couple small adoption and registration fees and the animal is theirs. With any adoption, we encourage parents to bring in their children and let them meet the animal(s) and see if there's a good rapport there. We also encourage people to bring any pet(s) they already have and let them get acquainted because just like humans, not all animals get along due to personality or whatever the case may be. We have our family room where you bring your family, we'll bring in the animal and everyone meets. If you happen to bring another pet with you, everyone will start out on leashes and if everyone gets along, we'll drop the leashes and give them a little more freedom and see what else happens. But, if the animals don't click right away, we'll keep everyone leashed and go from there. We encourage anyone and everyone, no matter when you decide to adopt a new animal, to come in for a meet-and-greet. I will also say a lot of times, it's not the human(s) who choose the pet(s), it's the pet(s) who choose the human(s).”
Overall, Logan said, she hopes 2025 will finish strong for the shelter.
“I want to remind pet owners to register their animals for 2026. If the animal has a tag from 2025, they can keep that tag, they just need to be registered with the city and have everything updated in the systems,” Logan said. “I also can't encourage responsible pet ownership enough – keep your animals secure and make sure it can't escape and cause trouble in town – I can't begin to count how many stray animal calls we get on a regular basis, and if pet owners would just be responsible, we wouldn't get nearly as many of those calls. I would also encourage everyone to keep an eye on the Liberal Animal Shelter Facebook page for any new animals we bring in, because you just might find one who's right for you. Adopting a pet is a great decision no matter what time of the year it is, but we always strongly advise making sure EVERYONE involved is on board and there's a plan in place as far as where the animal will eat and sleep and what veterinarian will be used and all of those details.”
