Gifting a Pet to Someone Else: When it’s a bad Idea
- Deniza Marcinkevica
- Jan 8
- 2 min read
By: Sheila Zapata, Social Media Intern, SkyTails.com
If you want to win the “Best Secret Santa” award, gifting a furry animal to someone could win you that title. It started to gain more popularity as the years went on, and the joy on people’s faces makes it worth it. However, there are some downsides to gifting a pet to someone that many people are not aware of.
1. Lifelong Commitment
Pets are like babies; they are a lifelong commitment that takes a lot of responsibility and hard work. This responsibility would take up to 10 to 15 years for dogs, and up to 20 years for cats. People who receive pets as gifts receive them without warning, and sometimes they’re not prepared for that kind of responsibility at that time. Because of this, most pets get neglected or abandoned once the novelty fades.
2. Not Everyone is Ready
Owning a pet requires time, effort, and resources. Some areas of concern would be lifestyle, financials, and overall capability. Some people don’t have the time to walk a dog every day or clean litter boxes; they might not be at the right place in their lives financially to handle the recurring bills of toys, supplies, and vet visits, and they need to have the physical and mental capability to provide for another living thing.
3. Allergies/Health Concerns
10%-20% of the population is allergic to pets. Consider the person’s allergies, petting, or being exposed to the air where pets live, which could trigger certain allergies. Some have medical triggers that could cause them to become dangerous. This puts both the pet and the owner in a difficult position.
4. Not the Right Fit
A lot of people would like to become pet owners, but that process would be so much better if they chose their own pet. When someone else gifts a pet, they are giving a dog or a cat that might not fit with the recipient. Someone who would rather stay home more often would not fit with a breed such as a golden retriever. The recipient should choose which breed fits best with them and their personality.
5. Sending the Wrong Message
With traditional gifts such as clothing and jewelry, you can easily return them or even re-gift them, but if it is an animal, those options do not exist, but to some, it does. This process makes pets seem like objects instead of living things; people can’t handle the responsibility of ownership, and the pet ends up in shelters, where they might have a worse life.
Conclusion
It is a thoughtful idea to give a pet to someone you know, but it is not always the best one. Some people have unavoidable financial, medical, and lifestyle choices that are not suitable for pets, and when this surprise is sprung so drastically on them, the future of that pet is not guaranteed to be the best.
SkyTails Connection
If you are someone who is ready for a pet, SkyTails is your number one contact for figuring out how to properly take care of your new best friend, and ways to make their lives and yours the best they can be.
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