HELENA — The Lewis and Clark Humane Society(LCHS) are cautioning people to avoid getting a dog, cat or any other pet as a gift for someone else.
The shelter says getting a pet around the holidays as a present for your family isn’t necessarily a bad idea, but it should be a conversation that is had with everyone that lives in the home or would be responsible for the animal.
LCHS Executive Director Kelsee Dalton Watts said the shelter unfortunately sees a fair number of animals three to six months after Christmas that were purchased as gifts.
“We have animals coming in that the people just weren't quite ready to deal with or not everybody was on the same page,” said Dalton. “It’s not fair for the animals and it’s not fair for your family. We’d rather be there for the whole process and make sure we can do everything we can from the beginning.”
Dalton says the big thing to remember when getting a pet for the holidays is that they’re not the present. Your family and your home is the present for the pet.
She added an alternative to getting someone a pet could be making a donation or sponsoring an adoption fee.
There are currently more than 100 animals in the care of the Lewis and Clark Humane Society.
More information about the animals currently available for adoption, and ways to support the shelter’s mission can be found here.
