Christmas is just a few weeks away and many people will be eagerly waiting to spend the day opening gifts and eating some good food. On the topic of gift giving, I thought I would talk about the gifting of pets for Christmas, and to be honest, gifting them in general.
Back in 1978 the chief executive of Dogs Trust created the phrase “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas” because of the sheer number of dogs that would be abandoned in the few months after Christmas. People would get them as pets for Christmas or around the Christmas period, then shortly after come to the realization they couldn’t actually accommodate a dog in their lives for one reason or another, so they would then give them to a rescue centre or abandon them. The same thing happened to pets after the Covid lockdown lifted.
But this isn’t just about dogs, it’s about any animal. It has become so much easier to obtain a range of species that can be kept as pets, such as: fish, birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, thanks to the internet and social media. Not only that, but TV and movies have a huge influence on us as consumers, and some animals can be seen as trendy, making them more desirable pets, however unrealistic they may be.
(Just a note to say: rehoming an animal can be an incredibly emotional experience and not an easy thing to do, and sometimes it is the best thing for both parties, human and animal, to part ways. This blog is not about rehoming animals, it is about bringing an animal into someone elses life without looking at the big picture)
Committing to pets
Welcoming an animal into the family is a large commitment and many animals take a lot more care than some people may realise. It is never “just a hamster” or “just a goldfish” because all species require specific species appropriate care, especially when we should be aiming for high husbandry standards.
Lifespans
In addition to this, many animals live longer than people think they can if they have not thoroughly researched the animal beforehand, for example: many common snake species can live into their 20’s, meaning you will likely have a snake in your life longer than you will have a dog; a fancy goldfish can live 10 to 15 years; rabbits can live for 12 years; canaries can live 5 to 15 years; macaws can live over 50 years.
When gifting pets, do you know if the other person will have the time and knowledge to correctly care for the animal? Additionally, do you know if they can accommodate an animal, its food, its housing, its substrate, and any veterinary bills into their finances? I guess the biggest question of all is do you know the person well enough to know that they really want this animal in their lives for however long the animal’s lifespan is (and when thinking of animals like tortoises, are they going to go into the persons will to be passed onto someone else)? If you’re an adult buying a pet for a child, are you or their parent willing to care for this animal for the child (pets can only legally be owned by those over the age of 16 years)?
My first snake
I’ve looked after reptiles for over 10 years now, but when I first became interested in reptiles and told my mum that I wanted a pet snake she laid down the rules that I could only have one if 1) I research everything I need to know about them, and 2) I have a job so I can pay for everything it needs on my own for the entirety of its life.
Low and behold, the second thing I purchased with my first wage slip after a jumper from River Island was a snake and vivarium. I found him on Gumtree. He came with everything he needed, despite it being the bare minimum, and I bought him from a lady that got him for her 3-year-old who had unsurprisingly lost interest in him. The good thing is that she found him a new home and he lived out the rest of his life with me, but not all animals have the same ending.
(Kuzco, my first snake)
Another thing to consider is that all animals are individuals. Someone may have had a pet before that was perfect for them, but a new similar pet may be completely different, for example: someone previously had a cat that enjoyed physical contact and company and then they get a new cat that chooses to live outside other than to pop in and eat dinner, which could take the enjoyment out of owning that animal for that person. Therefore, do you know what animal, breed and individual would make the perfect match for the person you’re getting them for?
Is it a fad?
There have been many incidents of media influencing pet ownership and it does not often positively affect the animals in question. Some examples include:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
First created in 1984 as an independent comic, later to be made into cartoons and films, these 4 cartoon turtles caused normal turtles to explode in popularity as pets throughout the 80’s and 90’s. As a result, in the 80’s and 90’s, there was a huge turtle dumping problem due to the novelty of having a pet turtle wearing off. This disrupted local biodiversity after the non-native turtles were released into local ponds and rivers.
This wasn’t just limited to the UK, but many other countries in the world too. Not only can smaller turtle species live to 30 years old, but they require an expensive set up (large tanks, filter systems, heating, etc.), get larger than you may think, and they can be smelly if you don’t keep on top of husbandry well.
Game of Thrones and Twilight
The Twilight movie was first released in 2008 but the later movies crossed over with the release of Game of Thrones in 2011, and these both have played a part in huskies and other northern breeds (Akitas, Samoyeds, etc.) increase in popularity.
With an increase in popularity came an increase in people surrendering their dogs to rescues. In 2010, The Dogs Trust had had only 79 northern breeds in its care, the following year this number increased to 411 being in their care. Although Huskies and other northern breeds have a very high cuteness factor, they are certainly not suitable for everyone and can become noisy and destructive if they have not had their needs appropriately met.
Tangled
While working in the Reptile House I have often heard kids saying that they want a chameleon “like Pascal from Tangled” and when axolotls were first introduced into Minecraft we had a lot of enquiries about them too. So, if you are asked to get someone an animal as a gift, make sure they’re not just a new trend and that whoever is on the receiving end has the time, knowledge, and attention span for that specific animal.
Often, animals can be viewed more as objects than sentient beings, which is probably why it can be so easy for many of us to pop into a pet shop and then come home with an animal on the very same day without too much hard thought. Many may have that animal for it’s entire life, others may realise that there is more work than they have time for and then have to find it a new home, which has been made a lot easier with social media and buy and sell websites.
It’s not always bad
Gifting an animal to someone is not always a bad thing, but there are so many things that need to be considered when deciding on giving someone an animal as a gift to ensure the best outcome for both parties. There are a lot of factors that could lead to a pet being unsuitable for someone but sometimes it may be a match made in heaven.
I guess the main takeaway from this blog is to think hard about how that animal will fit into someone’s life, not just in the next 6 months but 10-20 years in the future, maybe even 60-80 years in the future, depending on the species, as this decision affects a minimum of 2 lives (the animals and the person receiving them).
