Picture this: It’s Christmas morning and you can’t *wait* for your little girl to get up so you can give her the new kitten you bought her, or for your boyfriend to see the dog you’ve gotten him. Sure it’s wonderful to see the (you hope) delight on their faces and watch as they spend time with the new addition the next week or so. But like most gifts, the newness and excitement wears off.

Pets are A LOT of responsibility!!! Just in case you missed that…pets are A LOT of responsibility.  Is your son/daughter willing to commit to taking care of the new pet? Once your boyfriend has that new dog (who needs a long walk e-v-e-r-y d-a-y) will he have the time to care for it?  It’s easy to fall in love with a cute furry face (trust me your Mesa pet sitter does it alllll the time), but it isn’t just a cute furry face.

After the ribbons are put away and the wrapping paper is cleaned up, after the initial “ooohs and ahhhs and how adorable”, that new Christmas present now becomes:

potty training                                                   playing                                               feeding/watering

litter box cleaning                                          exercising                                         obedience training

behavioral training                                        medical care and shots               toys

spaying or neutering                                     food and bedding                          vacation care

Pets are a HUGE time and cost committment! Also how do you know for certain that the pet you’ve chosen is one your gift recipient will want? Maybe your little girl doesn’t *want* a black kitten, maybe she wanted a white kitten. Now what? Maybe your boyfriend just talked about how much he loves dogs because he had them growing up (but secretly he doesn’t want the responsibility) . Now what?

Truthfully, I’d say that live pets generally do not make good presents (neither do dead ones, but that’s a different blog). 🙂

However there is a way to give a pet as a gift and have it work out well.

• First, make 110% certain the gift recipient will want the pet and have the time to care for it! Go over all that responsible pet guardianship means by talking about the above list.
• Second, discuss the needs of different breeds of dogs and make sure it’s a good match for what the recipient is able to handle as far as care, exercise and personality match.
• Third, go pick out the pet TOGETHER so they are getting a pet they want, not necessarily something you thought was adorable. If you want an actual ‘gift’ to unwrap on the big day, consider a gift certificate. Where do you get a gift certificate for a pet?

I’d like to recommend you get a gift certificate from Rescue Pawtique! Located in the Superstition Springs Mall near Dillard’s on the upper level, this fantastic location rescues pets from the Maricopa County Animal Shelter who are set to be euthanized and brings them to be adopted. They can be reached at (480) 832-7297. You can also visit them here: www.pawsaz.org

Your pet sitter in Mesa wants your thoughtful idea to be a big success and we think the above steps will help! Happy Holidays!