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Entry 762Filed under Breeding

Should You Adopt a Pet During the Holidays or Wait Until After?

Holiday timing is less important than readiness. Compare adopting now, waiting, or fostering, and plan for travel, supplies, and a calm transition.
4-minute read By Animalso Team

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You can adopt a pet during the holidays if everyone responsible agrees, the daily-care plan is settled, and you can give the animal a calm place and time to adjust. If travel, guests, or unresolved responsibilities will make that difficult, waiting—or asking a local shelter about fostering—is a sensible choice. The calendar alone does not decide whether adoption is right; household readiness does.

How to decide whether the timing is right

Consider the household’s routines and the animal’s needs, not just the holiday date. ASPCA advises planning for a pet rather than rushing to meet a gift deadline. Its holiday guidance suggests that taking time to find a pet suited to the family can be just as exciting as a surprise.

Before adopting, make sure every responsible adult agrees and the intended recipient genuinely wants a pet. Best Friends Animal Society recommends discussing the recipient’s hopes, daily responsibilities, routines, travel plans, and introductions to any pets already at home in its 2025 holiday-gifting guidance. A pet should not be a surprise obligation for someone who has not agreed to care for one.

Adopting during the holidays may fit if

  • The household has agreed on who will feed, walk, clean up after, and supervise the pet.
  • You can prepare the animal’s supplies and a quiet settling-in space before bringing them home.
  • You can keep the first days relatively calm and avoid forcing introductions to visitors, children, or other pets.
  • Your schedule allows you to provide care even if holiday plans change.

Waiting may fit if

  • Travel is imminent and you have not arranged safe, dependable care.
  • Frequent guests, celebrations, or noise would prevent a quiet transition.
  • Adults in the household have not agreed on responsibilities, or the intended recipient is unsure.
  • You have not had time to prepare the home and supplies.

There is no universally best adoption date. The available guidance supports making the decision around readiness; it does not establish that holiday adoptions have worse outcomes than adoptions at other times. Shelter hours, adoption requirements, available animals, and foster programs vary locally.

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1041pcs Adopt a Pet Party Supplies DIY Pet Collar Making Kit, Dog Paws
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Compare adopting now, waiting, and fostering

Option Better fit when Main tradeoff
Adopt during the holidays The household wants the pet, has agreed on daily care, can prepare supplies and a quiet space, and can avoid overwhelming the animal with travel or forced introductions. Holiday events may disrupt routines and bring extra visitors or travel demands.
Wait until after the holidays Travel, schedules, household agreement, or preparation is unresolved, or you cannot offer a calm start now. Adoption is delayed; local shelter availability and hours vary.
Ask about fostering You want to help an animal or explore whether your household is ready, and a local shelter or rescue offers a suitable arrangement. Availability, duration, and responsibilities are set by the local organization.

ASPCA recommends fostering as an option for people who are not ready to adopt. Contact a nearby shelter or rescue to ask what arrangements it offers and what responsibilities they involve.

Give a new pet time and space to settle in

A new home can be a major change. ASPCA’s 3-3-3 adoption guidance describes the first three days as potentially overwhelming, the next three weeks as a period of decompression and settling, and the first three months as continuing adjustment. This is a general guide, not a fixed timetable every animal follows.

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  • Keep the first days calm and establish a predictable routine.
  • Give the animal a quiet place to retreat and allow them to approach people at their own pace.
  • Introduce children and existing pets gradually; do not force interactions.
  • Arrange veterinary care after adoption and ask the shelter or veterinarian about the pet’s specific needs.

Prepare supplies and a travel plan

Have basic supplies ready before the pet comes home, choosing items that fit the animal. Best Friends lists food, bowls, toys, and bedding, plus a leash and collar for a dog or a litter box and litter for a cat. ASPCA’s dog adoption guidance also mentions a bed, toys, treats, leash, harness, and collar. Ask the shelter what food and equipment are appropriate for the individual pet.

If holiday travel is part of the plan, decide in advance whether the pet will stay home with suitable care or travel with you. ASPCA’s travel safety guidance recommends secure restraint and preparing travel essentials and documents. Never leave an animal unattended in a parked vehicle.

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What the gift-adoption figures do—and do not—show

In a 2013 ASPCA study announcement, 96 percent of surveyed people who received pets as gifts said the gift increased or had no impact on their love or attachment to the pet, and 86 percent of the pets discussed were still in the home. These are dated findings, not a current survey or a guarantee about any individual adoption. The figures do not remove the need to confirm that the recipient wants a pet and that the household is ready. Best Friends’ 2025 guidance likewise says gifted pets are no more likely to be returned than other pets; that statement is the organization’s guidance, not a promise about a particular placement.

For the 2013 announcement and its study context, see the ASPCA release.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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