By Blake Deshazo

The Selma Times-Journal

Giving a child or loved one a pet for Christmas might seem like a great idea, but often times that look of joy on their face doesn’t last very long.

Clemente Marzette, a Selma animal control officer, said people tend to purchase or adopt animals this time of year out of impulse without thinking it over.

“They need to take the time to think about the full picture and not just that one day of excitement,” said Marzette. “I don’t recommend giving an animal as a gift because people don’t look at how much it takes to raise a pet.”

Nora Curtin, director of the Selma Animal Shelter, said a lot of responsibility comes with owning a pet.

“It’s just like having a child,” Curtin said. “You’ve got to take them to the vet when they get sick. You’ve got to care for them, and you’ve got to make time for them. Their kids aren’t going to take care of that pet. [Parents are] going to have to take care of it.”

Curtin said the number of animals that show up at the shelter increases after the holidays due to a number of reasons.

“We get quite a bit of animals coming in that [people] got for Christmas from somewhere,” said Curtin. “It’s just not fitting into their household, or they’re getting ready to go on vacation, or they can’t get the dog potty trained and don’t want it.”

The Animal Shelter recommends getting a pet after the holiday season.

“A lot of times [pets] end up coming back to the shelter after a couple of weeks, and we don’t want that to happen,” Marzette said.

Marzette and Curtin said they love to see the animals at the Selma Animal Shelter get adopted, but they want people to get them for the right reasons, and not as a disposable gift.

“During the holidays your household is so busy and all,” Curtin said. “We recommend if they’re going to adopt to wait until after Christmas, and all of the commotion dies down. That way they can spend time with their new pet.”

Anyone interested in adopting a pet or donating to the Selma Animal Shelter can call 877-2204.