Humane Society of Elmore County News
While we always hope for many great adoptions every week, a pet is a serious commitment in money, time, training, patience and love. And considering that many of our dogs and cats live well into their teens, may have medical needs during their lives, and look to us for all of their needs, adding a pet to the family should only be done after much consideration and planning for both the near-term and long-term.
For those who bring in a new puppy or kitten – they will be small and puppy/kitten adorable for only a few very short months. Then you will have the fun of a gawky, unruly, wild teenager for another few months before they begin to settle down into adulthood. Some breeds will challenge you with two-three years of boisterous, sometimes maddening behavior and you simply need to be up to that challenge. And, yes, there is a rather big difference in the antics of a six-month old Yorkie puppy versus a six-month old Labrador puppy – think digging and chewing on two very different scales. But the rewards of learning your new pet’s personality, integrating them into your family routine, and being given complete and unconditional love are all worth it to those of us who think of our pets as family.
Here ahead of Christmas 2019 our Shelter does have puppies but all are of the larger-breed types like Labradors, Retrievers & Bulldog mixes. The kittens we have are in the 10-16 week-old range and nothing is more fun than kittens, Christmas Trees and all those fun presents under the tree. But we also have so many young adult & adult dogs & cats who are just as deserving of new lives as full-fledged members of families.
Most Shelters, us included, do discourage giving pets as gifts to non-family members. BUT – we have Adoption Gift Certificates! Our Adoption Certificates make it so you can pay for the adoption of a dog or cat, gift that certificate to the recipient and then they can come on their own time schedule to find the pet they connect with and that is a good fit for their home. These certificates are good for one-year so that gives the recipient plenty of time after the hectic holidays perhaps to get ready for a new pet. And, in all honesty, these gift certificates might also be perfect for your own children or parents so that they know there will be a pet joining the family once you get through Christmas travels and hectic New Year’s celebrations. Just come but the Shelter Office Mon-Fri 8-5 and Sat 8-4 to purchase a Gift Certificate.
To plan ahead for adoptions, we will be open on Mon, 23 Dec normal hours for adoptions. On Tue, 24 Dec we will only be open until noon for pickups of pre-approved adoptions; we will not do any walk-in adoptions on Tuesday, 24 December. The shelter will remain closed 25 & 26 Dec and reopen on Fri, 27 Dec at 10 am for adoptions.
