Think Twice Before Breeding Or Buying Dogs For Christmas

And while shelter officials are eager to send animals to good homes, they’re asking residents to think twice before adopting this year.

“There will be a handful of people who don’t give it much thought beyond, ‘Wouldn’t a puppy look cute under the Christmas tree?’” said Marli Drum, superintendent of Columbia Animal Services. “Some of those animals will end up back here at the shelter.”

And some will be euthanized. Each year, the Columbia shelter adopts out nearly 2,000 animals. But about 10,000 are euthanized because their owners request it or potential adoptees are too old, sick, aggressive or shy to be adopted.

Known as “cage crazy” in shelter circles, some healthy animals become aggressive or intensely shy when kept in cages at shelters for extended periods of time.

And when that happens, the chances of the animal being adopted plummets, Drum said, and euthanization is likely.