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All I Want for Christmas Is You!
Adopting a Pet During the Holidays
By Christina Barr
CN Editor-in-Chief
What could be sweeter than seeing a child’s bright puppy dog eyes light up when they first catch a glance of, well, a puppy dog’s eyes looking at them for the first time? As the family gathers around the tree to open presents, the little ones light up brighter than the decorations when they see a new companion, namely one wagging a tail or softly mewing from under a big red bow. I think most kids want a pet and make it known, especially when those cherished present-giving occasions round the bend of the calendar. The problems that can come from adding a new member to the family are sometimes detrimental to not only the family, but to the new addition as well. Thanks to organizations like the Sacramento SPCA, pets that don’t quite fit into a new family or can’t be taken care of properly have a place to go in hopes of finding another loving home.
I find it tragic that there are so many unloved and unwanted pets out there, neglected and ignored, ill-treated and abused. I have grown up having pets around the house my entire life - ‘cept for that brief stint in college, where, as animal-deprived as I was, I refused to bring a pet into my living situation. I knew it wasn’t adequate, and thus I would not be so selfish as to make a poor lil’ kitty or puppy suffer the wrath of a thrashing college town. Instead I practically molested every cute dog I passed by walking to class, would walk any neighbor’s pup for them. Perhaps my favorite “chores” consisted of pet-sitting my friend’s Rottweiler, Roxie (who was adopted from Rottweiler Rescue in Los Angeles), when she wasn’t allowed in class because she snored too loudly, helping give her a bath at the doggy wash store and snuggling her in bed (yep, she likes to spoon, but DAMN if she doesn’t snore like an 60-year-old man with wheezing asthma).
After living in Sacramento for about a year, I felt something tugging at my thoughts. It would happen every day when I would come home from work, or sit outside in the sun, watching the zany squirrels streak through the trees, or any time that I would see the neighbor’s cat, Dusty, coming over for a visit. Yes, I would abduct Dusty and bring him into my house (ok, well, he would come in of his own accord, but I loved it when he would visit) and quench my thirst for animal attention. At the time, I was living in a lovely house with a fantastic landlord. The only glitch to the whole setup was that no pets were allowed. After wincing and whining and pawing at my boyfriend, I convinced him to at least pose the question to see if the “no pets” policy would be negotiable. After all, what is there to lose? So he did. And the landlord caved! What a softy. I guess since Dusty is his cat and we practically kidnapped him daily, it was a better choice to let us have our own so Dusty could go back to being his four-year-old son’s best buddy. Smart move.
The next day, we were at the Sacramento SPCA interviewing all of the precious animals looking their best in hopes of finding a new home. Now I won’t lie to you – going to the SPCA can be a very emotional experience, particularly for someone that is very sensitive and has a big heart. I practically came out in tears after realizing that there weren’t two cute adorable little kittens from the same litter readily available.
This can be a problem if you have in mind a specific breed, size, sex, color, or any other distinguishing characteristic that you’re looking for when you decide to adopt. Adopting a pet is far different from buying one from a breeder. Pet adoption is truly honorable, and not all pets that need to be adopted find homes. I’ve never heard of a breeder that doesn’t find home for their purebreds, and believe me they aren’t complaining by the time their work is done. There’s quite a bit of money to be made in that trade. With adoption, you usually pay for the shots and spaying or neutering that has been or needs to be done to the animal. The shots are essential to protect the animal as well as you, and spaying or neutering an animal is very important to help control the homeless, neglected, overlooked pet population. It may seem cruel, but is it worse than euthanizing thousands upon thousands of animals simply because no one can or will care for them, because shelters are already full?
When you decide it’s time to adopt a pet, after you’ve discussed it with the whole family and everybody has agreed to love and take care of the animal like they would themselves, check out Sacramento SPCA, or your local SPCA, or any other establishment that offers pet adoption. I found my precious princes at the PETsMART in South Sacramento, since I had decided to be too picky at the SPCA. Truly, I was so saddened leaving the SPCA empty-handed that I dragged my boyfriend to the pet store to at least look at all the cute things I would buy for my kitties when I finally found them. Fate is crazy, my friends. Wandering around the store sniveling, I found my boyfriend staring in a daze with a curious half smile on his face. What the hell? I thought. As I approached him, it became lucid what had transfixed him: he was standing in front of the adoption center, which happened to be full of all sorts of furry faces that weekend. We walked out of there with our grins akin to the Cheshire Cat, Rufus and Diego in their cat carrier, and a truckload of cat-related goods.
The SPCA works with places like PETsMART (www.petsmart.com/adoptions/adoption_process.shtml) and Petco (www.petco.com/corpinfo_adoptions.asp?webt=0) to fill the Adoption Centers with furballs and fluffballs ready to attack you with cuteness. They also offer Adoption weekends, where they will bring out a variety of animals in need of good homes, and you can go check them out, play with them, see if your personalities click. There is something to be said about the chemistry between people and pets, so it is important to get a feeling for an animal before introducing him or her to a brand new environment. Just because a puppy is cute now doesn’t mean it will always be little and cute. There are so many things to consider when adopting a pet. Luckily, the SPCA will guide you through the tough decisions and remind you that though they’re adorable when they’re little, they do grow up. I think a large amount of animals end up in shelters when they have surpassed their maximum baby cuteness, and people then become bored or annoyed. It’s safe to say that if you are bored or annoyed with a pet when they begin to mature, maybe you should get a plant instead.
Not only will the SPCA aid you in adopting a pet, they will be there for you throughout your relationship. They offer humane education, low cost spay and neuter services, a lost and found, a newsletter, pet behavior classes and information, and even a thrift store! They have a program called “Surrender Your Pets” for those who cannot take care of their pets anymore, or who move to a home where they are unable to have pets. The SPCA also investigates abuse and neglect cases, looks for people willing to foster a shelter animal, and has volunteer positions for those who want to help give back.
If you would like to learn more about the SPCA or how to support it, check out their website at www.sspca.org. Their calendar of events this month includes a Fall Adoptathon on November 13th from eleven a. m. to six p.m. You may contact Nancy Ball at www.nball@sspca.org for additional information. Also, for the extreme pet lovers, take your furry friends to see Santa Paws November 13th and 14th, between eleven a.m. and three p.m. Contact Susan Willson at swillson@sspca.org or at 916.383.7387, extension 9102 for more info. Susan can also tell you about the Annual Fall Book Sale to help support the organization. It happens during November 19th through the 21st, from ten a.m. to eight p.m. Friday and Saturday, and ten a.m. to six p.m. Sunday. It takes place at the Marketplace at Birdcage in Citrus Heights, next to Longs Drugs on Sunrise Boulevard. And mark your calendar for the 1st Annual Pet Telethon to take place December 4th.
SACRAMENTO DOG OWNERS GROUP
FOLSOM INDEPENDENT DOGOWNERS
FORDOG
LINCOLN DOG PARK
MERCER VETERINARY CLINIC FOR THE HOMELESS
CITRUS HEIGHTS POOCH PARK
POOP MASTERS
ROSEVILLE DOG OWNERS GROUP
SACRAMENTO AREA ANIMAL COALITION
SACRAMENTO DOG TRAINING CLUB
SACRAMENTO PET GAZETTE
SACRAMENTO SPCA
HAPPY TAILS
SAC. GREYHOUND ADOPTION
PUPPY LOVE RESCUE
FRIENDS OF PLACER COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTERS
WILD ABOUT CATS
SHELTER DOG RESCUE PROJECT AT UCD
YOLO COUNTY SPCA
NORCAL BOXER RESCUE
ORPHAN KITTEN PROJECT
UC CENTER FOR ANIMAL ALTERNATIVES
ASSOCIATION OF VETERINARIANS FOR ANIMAL RIGHTS
4 PAWS PET RESCUE
FOLSOM FELINE RESCUE
PERFORMING ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY
MIXED MUTTS
NEWDAWN DOG RESCUE
ANIMALSAVE
PET ADOPTION LEAGUE
SUTTER BUTTES CANINE RESCUE
ANIMAL FRIENDS CONNECTION HUMANE SOCIETY
LODI ANIMAL SHELTER
HUMANE SOCIETY OF NAPA COUNTY AND SPCA
CATS ABOUT TOWN SOCIETY
MUSTANG-SPIRIT
BRITTANY RESCUE
PETFINDERS
ANIMAL PROTECTION INSTITUTE
NEVER CRY WOLF RESCUE & ADOPTIONS
GSRSV.ORG
MOUNTAIN LION FOUNDATION
RAIN
FAUX PAWS
FRIENDS OF THE SACRAMENTO CITY ANIMAL SHELTER
ANIMAL CARE AND REGULATION
FRIENDS FOR LIFE ANIMAL OUTREACH
HUMANE SOCIETY
UNITED ANIMAL NATIONS
TRAVELDOG
STOCKTON ANIMAL SHELTER FRIENDS
VALLEY SPCA
ANIMAL PLACE
NORSLED
SPCA HAVEN OF SOLANO COUNTY
YOLO COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES SHELTER
CALIFORNIA ANIMAL SHELTER FRIENDS
FELINE VETERINARY EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
YUBA SUTTER SPCA
CATS WITH NO NAME CALIFORNIA
DELTA HUMANE SOCIETY & SPCA
PETS & PALS ANIMAL SHELTER
PLACER COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES
PLACER SPCA
SACRAMENTO ANIMAL CARE SERVICES
For more information, contact Christina Barr at
CBarr@ConnectedNow.com
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