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Why surprising someone with a pet as a gift isn’t the best idea

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The holiday season can be a good time to get a pet because kids are out of school for a few weeks and people often have time off work. However, Colorado Springs animal shelters ask people to avoid giving animals as surprise presents.

They say animals end up back in a shelter because some people fail to realize the workload owning a pet entails. Also, newly-adopted animals don’t always get along with dogs and cats already in the house.

For those reasons, Gina Rocha, the director of the Colorado Springs shelter No Hound Unhomed says she won’t even let people adopt dogs if she is told it’s going to be a surprise gift. Rocha went on to say one of the best ways to make sure you’re ready for the responsibility of an animal, is to volunteer or foster.

"I would recommend, in all honesty, fostering before even adopting because fostering, yes, it's hard on everyone if you have to let go of the dog, but it's also a good experience of figuring out which dog you want to stick with, like which personalities, which traits, and breed," said Rocha.

Fostering can also be a great way to figure out if you have allergies, which is a common reason why people surrender their pets.

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region encourages families to adopt around the holiday season but agrees an animal should never be a surprise present without thought. HSPPR says adopting a pet is a major decision that shouldn't be taken lightly.

"Obviously, I think the entire family needs to be on board with getting a pet," said Cody Costra, Public Relations and Content Specialist for Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region. "That way it's not a burden on one specific member of the family, and the entire family is on board for the responsibility of financially and emotionally of owning a pet for the next 10 to 15 years."

Both No Hound Unhomed and the Humane Society have animals up for adoption. For more information, visit their websites.

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Mallory Anderson

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