Holiday adoptions, and why they work

We do a lot of adoptions this time of year.  Like, a lot a lot.  The December/January months are our favorite time, because that's usually when we do so many adoptions that we (gasp!) have a little open space available, and we don't have to scramble quite so much to find room for the new pets coming in.  One of our biggest goals as an adoption center is to help people realize that a pet is a lifetime commitment - that it's 15-20 years of hard work, expense, and poop, not just a cute thing for Christmas - so the fact that we do so many Christmas adoptions seems a little counter-intuitive.  I've found that many people's first reaction to that news is sort of a skeptical, "Is that really a good idea?" facial expression, and if I wasn't here in the thick of things I would probably be making exactly the same face.

But I am here in the thick of things, and our holiday adoptions usually do work out just fine.  And here's why: we screen potential adopters just as well around Christmas as we do the rest of the year.  Most of the people who come in to adopt this time of year are families who have been considering taking home a pet for months (sometimes years) and have finally decided to take the plunge, and want to time it to make their holiday extra special.  If they came in any other time of year, they would still be great homes for great pets.  No matter who comes in to adopt, we help them select the right pet for their home, counsel them about proper care, and make sure that they're ready before we send them out the door with a pet.

"Surprise! Better get a litter box."

What we don't do, around the holidays or any other time, is send home pets as gifts.  There's always someone (or several someones) around the holidays who wants to surprise someone else with a puppy or kitten; a girlfriend, a mom, a sibling, whoever.  Here's the thing: pets can be great gifts, but they should never be a surprise.  Think about it: you may be giving your whoever a cute cuddly puppy with a bow around its neck, but you're also giving them that aforementioned 15-20 years of hard work, expense, and poop.  For most people, that's not such a great deal, and for most gift pets, it's a ticket back to the adoption center a couple of days later.  So, if you come in hoping to adopt a pet for someone else, even if you're sure they will love it, we will offer you two options: you can bring them in with you to pick the pet and fill out the paperwork, or you can purchase a gift certificate to cover the adoption fee and send them in on their own to pick the pet and fill out the paperwork.  It's an easy way to have a lovely gift under the tree while saving a person and a pet the heartbreak of returning to the adoption center.

Why wait weeks when I'm this cute now?

There's one other thing that invariably pops up around the holidays, and that's people who want to pick out and adopt a pet, but have us hold it for them until Christmas Eve so it will be a surprise for their kids.  This is another one of those things that we don't do, not because we're stubborn or Grinchy but because we just can't.  People may be able to put their adoption schedule on hold until December 24th, but our intake schedule somehow never gets the memo; every space is precious for a pet who has no home, and we can't have dozens of adopted pets (or even a few) waiting here, using those spaces for days or weeks, when there are so many others who need help.  If you're one of the many thinking of adopting this month, please consider letting Christmas come a little early for your family and a lucky pet.  You'll be giving two pets a wonderful gift: the one that gets a home and a family to call its own, and the one who gets to come in out of the cold and take its place at the adoption center.

If you're not one of the many who adopt this month, but you're overflowing with holiday cheer and want to spread it around a little, well, you're always welcome at the adoption center!  Spend a little time volunteering, foster a pet for the holidays, or bring in some items off of our Wish List: we're always in need of toys, treats, collars & leashes, bleach, paper towels, canned food, and pill pockets, to name a few.  Or, get in that year-end tax deductible donation and help us meet our SAVE Fund goal: donations of $100 or more marked for our SAVE fund will be matched at the end of the year if we can raise $55,000 by December 31st.  You can donate to SAVE or any of our other funds through our website at woodfordhumane.org, or swing on by and see us in person...and you just might find a new friend to take home while you're at it.  However you spend your holidays, we're wishing you a safe, warm, and happy season, and a purry New Year!