Humane society sees influx of animals returned after the holidays

Jonesboro, Arkansas – Humane organizations throughout the nation are witnessing an influx of animals returning to their shelters after the Christmas season when many were given away.

Humane groups advise against surprising someone with a dog or cat, whether it’s a parent, grandparent, niece, or nephew.

According to Lisa Trevathan of the NEA Humane Society, occasionally the new pet isn’t a good fit or won’t work out when those animals are gifted.

The Humane Society claimed to have encountered similar problems in the past.

“We saw really quickly that we were getting a lot of them back in January. It was a significant amount,” Trevathan said.

Because of this, the organization no longer accepts adoptions for animals that are being given as surprises.

“We will not do that. We would do a gift certificate where the parents or grandparents could come out after Christmas and pick out one if that’s what they wanted,” Trevathan said.