TheReview Wednesday, December 12,1990 — Al3 by Mare Davis The Review = you re thinking about giving a cuddly kitten or a playful puppy to someone as a Christmas gift then stop and think again. That is the advice given by Victoria SPCA executive director | Lynn West. She has to deal with | most of the region’s unwanted pets when the festive season is over. At least two pets each day are dropped off at Victoria’s SPCA shelter all through January each year, she said. And the majority of them are cats and dogs belonging to disap- pointed owners who had hoped for a hassle-free Yuletide gift, she said. “The most common reason we Pear is that people don’t have time to care for a pet,” she said. Up to 70 per cent of cats turned over to the SPCA are eventually euthanized, while the figure runs as high as 30 per cent for dogs, she said. The two-week period prior to Christmas Day is always incredi- ~ bly busy with people shopping at the SPCA shelter for cute gifts, West said. But she warns that the shelter screens would-be adoptees very carefully during this period in an effort to prevent irresponsible behavior. “Giving pets away at Christmas =just doesn’t work out. A pet is a lifelong commitment, not a last- minute gift item,” she said. ies For several years, the shelter has been closed on the afternoon of Christmas Eve because inebriated shoppers used to show up demand- ing puppies and kittens. However, adding up the cost of caring for a pet can be a sobering experience, she said. Vaccination shots range in price from $50 to $75. Add on the cost of deworming, defleeing and licensing fees, and the cost can escalate to about $130. Then there’s spaying and neut- ering, which can range in price from $75 to $150, she said. “Tt’s an expensive proposition to have a pet. And if the animal gets picked up and sent to the pound, that’s another 50 to 60 dollars to get it out,” she said: @ There’s also the cost to the animal’s physical and mental wel- fare to be considered, West said. Dogs are social animals that- need someone to give them love and affection, not just after work in the evening, but also during the day. Left alone, they suffer from chronic boredom. And along with physical inactivity, boredom can lead to unhappiness and high stress levels, she said. Pets are also forced to bear the brunt of many uncaring owners’ = SPER EPL PLE eg oe 2 ‘ it best for 3 ; th & ‘ Holidays. % tw & : Horget-AMe-Not = wr Florists and Gift Shop ¢ » Fm. 652-9149 Ee) ea 's P taial romeuensceena #5. 7816 E. SAANICH RD. os NEXT TO OAKREST FOOD € a SAANICHTON CER RA LS ve ¢ we Think twice before giving pets as gifts HOPING SOMEONE WILL give him a new home is this young neutered Malamute/Akitea cross whom the S.P.C.A. describe as very affectionate and gentle with children. At about four months of age, he’s not too old to train. For more information, call 388-7722. frustrations, leading to physical and emotional abuse, West said. “Sometimes pets become the whipping boys of society. “Some animals are better off being put down than suffering by being neglected or abused, not wanted and not loved,” she said. Some people abandon pets by dropping them off in wooded areas, often around Elk Lake and Beaver Lake. But domesticated animals can’t fend for themselves and usually die of starvation or disease. Some are even preyed upon by wild animals, West said. “The idea of food for a dog is the refrigerator door opens and the food comes out,” she said. “Cats and dogs don’t have the skills to survive in the wild.” Some people are afraid that if they leave their unwanted pet at the SPCA shelter theyll be forced to pay a drop-off fee, she said. “But we don’t charge and we never turn animals away,’ she said. People should also note that the least they can do as a parting gesture for their pet is to talk to SPCA officers about the animal, she said. Animals with a known history are much easier to place in a new home than cats and dogs whose personalities are a mystery, she said. And it’s better not to postpone the inevitable if owners cannot offer a long-term home to puppies or kittens, she said. “Untrained, undisciplined dogs are difficult to place after three to five months,” she said. r SEOUL CHRISTHS DNR Imagine, a complete Christmas Dinner and Best of all — $ NO PREPARATION... 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