Dulce, available for adoption; photo courtesy of PAWS & More

Dasher, available for adoption; photo courtesy of PAWS & More

As Christmas approaches and people are out shopping for last minute gifts, one gift that could be good for the whole family is an adopted dog or cat from an animal shelter. Amber Talbot of PAWS & More says while a pet can make a great Christmas present, she feels it’s important to make it a family decision. She says, “We really think it’s important for everybody in the family to meet that animal. So it’s important that, if it’s going to be a gift that it’s not necessarily a surprise gift. We do see a certain percent of animals returned after the holidays that were given in such a manner, where the people didn’t meet the pet first before they received it.”

If families want to get an animal from PAWS & More before Christmas, they are open from 12-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and they are available by appointment on Christmas Day between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Talbot says this year has been one of their best holiday seasons ever, with many people coming in to adopt a new four-legged family member. However, they also have seen an influx of new animals at the shelter since the weather started to get colder, so they still have a large amount of animals ready to find homes. Talbot encourages everyone to stop by the shelter, even if they don’t plan to adopt a pet, because they can still spend time with the animals in the shelter and give them much needed human contact.