Christmas is a time of giving and we often see images of wrapped up puppies or kittens, but is it kind and ethical to give a pet as a gift?

With few exceptions, I agree with the general principal of welfare organisations that pets shouldn’t be given as a gift. The responsibility of taking on the commitment of owning a pet for its full life quota is enormous. The idea of animals being treated as mere commodities is a very sad reflection on a society. How often have you been gifted with an inanimate object that you don’t really want? Perhaps you re-wrap the item and give it to someone else. Somewhere down the line someone may actually want your gift and will keep it, but what of the emotional and psychological harm inflicted if the unwanted gift is a living, sentient creature? An animal is not an unfeeling object!

Pain is either physical or mental. Suffering grief or anxiety is pain. Scientific findings confirm that separation, loneliness and social isolation generate pain responses in the brain. This negative experience damages the potentially healthy being. What happens to the unwanted dog, cat, rabbit, hamster, bird or fish? Are they not going to be anxious, confused and traumatised when either neglected, relinquished to an animal shelter, or at worst abandoned in a distant neighbourhood? To witness the suffering of these animals is heart-breaking.

Choosing a companion animal is a very personal decision. To justify giving a pet to someone, you would need to be sure that the recipient has the financial and other means to meet the dietary, medical, environmental and recreational needs of the animal. And do the pet and its new human have compatible personalities? Would you choose a husband or wife for your friend? Many pets are re- homed due to personality clashes. A Border collie and a sedentary TV addict would not make the best combination. Their incompatibility would undoubtedly lead to unhappiness.

Another important consideration is the effect relinquishing a pet has on children of a family. Children often consider a family pet as a sibling. A parent’s disdain teaches the child that the lives of others are unworthy of concern and that it is permissible to shirk responsibility. Empathy is lost and the world becomes a poorer place.

Animal rescue organisations traditionally overflow at this time of the year when dogs and cats are given up as the year-end holidays approach. This is such a sad reflection of the un-caring society we live in. Please be responsible and rather go to a soft-toy shop if you want to give a cuddly animal as a gift.

Susan Henderson©

Henderson AABC/2015/028/C (Accredited Animal Behaviour Consultant)