More pets adopted this season

Adoption agencies are worried of pets being returned after a few weeks

The holiday season is the time when most people get together with their families and friends. They have the luxury of time to plan things, sometimes make future plans too. This includes bringing home a new member to the family, in the form of a kitten or puppy.

Adoption agencies are also quite busy choosing families that the pups can go to. It’s truly a wonderful time of the year.

This year, too, saw many parents bring home a pet and begin family life. Sudha Narayanan, founder CARE (Charles Animal Rescue Centre) tells Metrolife that they have seen a large number of pet adoptions this holiday season.

“We’ve had more kittens being adopted than dogs. People living in apartments find it easier to take care of a cat,” she says.

To her surprise, many who came forward for adoption brought pictures of their home to ensure that they have enough space for the pet to feel at home. “The holiday season is the time when parents have the time to help the animal get adjusted as they will also be at home most of the time. It’s a good way to train the animal and get them accustomed to the new lifestyle,” adds Sudha.

Interestingly, those who came in search of a puppy were particularly asking for Indie pups. She says that it could be the awareness and the number of Indie pup adoption drives they have done over the year.

Most of the time, people have come just to visit the shelter in Jakkur and then come again with their children to go through the adoption procedure.

This year, all the animals that were adopted have found a home, except one kitten who was returned to the shelter as it fell sick. “But the parents want the kitten back. We are only taking care of him until he is well. The parents have been regularly checking up on the status,” she says, proudly.

However, she’s worried that many might be returned in the coming days. She’s concerned that once the holiday spirit is over and the family gets back to work, they may find it difficult to take care of the pet and return it to the shelter.

Sanjana Madappa of CUPA says this is the usual trend. “We’ve seen many cases in the past where people come in asking for pedigree dogs, adopt them till the holiday season is over and end up bringing them back to us as it gets too hectic for them,” she says.

According to her, it’s almost like a pet-on-rent system. Many want to adopt as purchasing from the breeder is expensive and this (adoption) is free of cost.

She says, “We usually discourage this. By now we know which family comes with that mindset. They don’t come in because they want to give these dogs a home – they just want one for the holiday card. They also don’t come with the mentality that breeding is bad – they just want to save money.”

She advises parents and individuals who are considering adoption to understand the seriousness before making the decision. “Though we have about 30 successful adoptions a month, there are still a few bad cases. We make sure that we stay in touch with most of the families and track the status of the pet. In case they aren’t able to handle it, we make sure that the pet is returned to us and not anywhere else. It’s part of our adoption process,” says Sanjana.