The excitement of watching a loved one open the perfect gift can be a favourite among many this holiday season, however, some gifts require much more thought and preparation than others.

Four-legged friends can in many ways sound like a great gift, besides being adorable they can provide love, loyalty and countless hours of fun. However, there can be oversights of time and responsibility that are involved with bringing a pet into a home and careful considerations should be made before gifting any type of pet.

Cost, time commitment for training and care, lifestyle, age of children should all be considered before coming to a definitive answer. If you have weighed different scenarios and considerations, there can be additional questions to ask, first and foremost being whether to adopt or seek our a breeder.

Delee DeCap, secretary for KAWS Animal Rescue, said there can be many advantages to adopting a new pet into your home. She emphasized that dogs and cats that are more grown have had a chance to develop their personality, which when applying, should be assessed to make sure you are matched with a pet that matches your personality and lifestyle. You are also more apt to know what you are getting, dependant on the time the animal has spent in the rescue facility. Additionally, whether they are a young rescue or a senior animal, the feeling of providing a surrendered animal a home can go a long way for some peoples moral framework.

DeCap stated that their application process is a thorough one and they will always assess to see if a person, couple or family is aware of the commitment but she said this isn’t always the case, and that it is important to do your homework before venturing into an adoption situation.

According to Humane Canada, in Saskatchewan, there were more than double the amount of cats surrendered to shelters than dogs with totals of 87,000 and 33,000 respectively across Canada. These numbers reflect the importance of making an informed decision before caring for another life in your home and also to recognize the number of animals actively needing homes.

Bringing a pet into your home can be a great and rewarding experience, DeCap urges people to carefully consider the commitment and make a well informed decision for all involved.