Whether it be a puppy or a pony, all of us have dreamt of having a pet at least once in our lives. One of the two is a little easier to care for and if the pup is big enough, one can pretend to ride it as though it were a horse. If you’re a cat, lizard, snake, or rodent person, no worries—all furry and not so fluffy creatures are welcome here!
Welcome, dear readers, to a post that is wholesome like no other, full of delightfully cute pets of all shapes and sizes. But they’re not just any ordinary pets, mind you! These little darlings have either just been adopted or their owners have shared a picture of their adoption from a few years back.
We also had the opportunity to speak with Murad Kirdar, the Public Relations Officer at Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society, who was very kind to answer some of our questions regarding pet adoption during the holiday period, so make sure you stick around for that!
As you’re scrolling through, please remember to upvote your favorites and leave some comments for good measure! If you can’t seem to get enough, you’re in luck as Bored Panda has done quite a few of these compilations, so you are more than welcome to scope out the adorable pets from July and August. But now let’s get into it!
More info: Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society | Instagram
#1 This Man Was Forced To Surrender His Dog To The Humane Society Due To A Long Hospital Stay. A Nurse Found Out About This And Immediately Went To The Shelter And Adopted The Dog. She Brought Him To Visit Daily And Returned Him As Soon As The Man Was Released!
Image credits: Clb2U
As Christmas is just behind us and masses of wrapping paper are headed towards the recycling plants, we can sit back and enjoy the gifts that we received. Half of the chocolate Santas that I got are gone, destroyed, with the rest awaiting their fate to be dunked into some hot coffee and monched on head first.
But as the rest of my sweets dissipate, there are those gifts that will last decades or a full lifetime. Getting a pet for the holiday season may be a dream come true for a lot of kids and adults alike. Truly, is there anything better than your new best friend entering your life at a time of festive joy, fairy lights, and silly music? Whelp, there’s definitely things to consider beforehand.
Murad Kirdar, the Public Relations Officer at Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society, believes that adopting a living creature should be a decision that is never taken lightly. “It would help if you always thought twice, three times and maybe four times before adopting any animal,” he told Bored Panda. “Dogs and cats can live up to 17 to 20 years. Caring for another living creature is a lifelong commitment, not an impulse decision.”
#2 The Shelter Made A Rule That These Siblings Had To Be Adopted Together Because They Were Inseparable. They Sleep Like This Every Night
Image credits: HappyJacket3113
#3 Adopted This Lil Dude Yesterday. He's Been In A Shelter For His Whole Life And He Looks Pretty Happy To Go To His First Home
Image credits: DogsAreeFamily
When it comes to pets being gifted for Christmas, Murad believes that this is one gift that should not be on the wishlist. “I am a firm believer that a pet should never be a gift,” he said. “The pet parent should be able to choose the personality of the pet they are best matched with. For example, you wouldn’t want a toy poodle if you are a hiker.”
Though, if the person has been dreaming of a pet, it may be a good idea to get a little bit more creative without actually choosing the pet for them. “Instead of ‘gifting’ an animal, I suggest wrapping up some dog toys or cat bowls, then bringing that person to a shelter or rescue and letting them pick out the animal they choose,” Murad advised.
#4 Just Adopted My First Kitty! Meet Freya. She Has Settled In Quickly
Image credits: NiceGuyWillis
#5 My Friend Wanted To Adopt An Older Dog From The Shelter, Meet Toby!
Image credits: morrisonw0
#6 Meet Rancher, From Mississippi, Who Got Adopted Last Night And Experienced His First Snow Day In Maine This Morning!
Image credits: crmck26
There are many considerations one should take into account when adopting a pet, and it seems that those oftentimes get ignored. “When you adopt, it’s a commitment, period,” Murad said. “Too many people still bring home an animal because ‘it's cute.’ But did they think long-term?” The expenses and the time that it takes to train a pet often get ignored.
Furthermore, certain issues such as household members being allergic or not wanting to help take care of the animal need to be considered. Pets will always need companionship and training, so if one is unprepared to provide either, maybe having pets isn’t for them. Throughout his years of working with animals, Murad has come to the conclusion that the most successful adoptions are the “ones that are planned, and the person has done their homework on the animal.”
#7 I Just Adopted Her From The Shelter To Honor The Ones I Lost This Year. She Was On The List To Not Make It Out
Image credits: Hoperosaliex
#8 Who Rescued Who? I Have Never In My Life Met A Creature More Loving Than This One
Image credits: xlostinimaginationx
#9 I Just Found This Little Girl At Work. I’m Pretty Sure This Means I’m Adopted
Image credits: Ironclad2nd
There are some positives for adopting a new family member during the holidays. Most importantly—Adopting a pet saves a life and makes more room at the shelter for an animal in need of a warm bed. Plus, with everyone on vacation from school and work, the family has extra time at home to get to know and train the new pet, easing the transition of adoption.
The ASPCA highly encourages folks to adopt during the holidays. Their study conducted in 2013 revealed that there’s no harm in giving an animal as a gift, as long as it’s done right. They found that adopting a pet during the holidays has no negative effect on emotional attachment and 86% of pets adopted during the holidays remained in the home.
However, we cannot ignore the other side of the same coin. A dog is for life, not for Christmas. Sadly, the excitement of owning a pet sometimes overshadows the reality of the responsibilities said pets bring with them. It’s not as easy to fix an “oopsie” of adopting a pet that you can’t really take care of, so better not to make these mistakes to begin with, as it’s the animal that will suffer the most.
#10 My Newly Adopted Kitten Only Lies Like This On Me At Night. It Melts My Heart
Image credits: TurtlesAndBobcats
#11 Today I Decided To Adopt A Kitten. Watch Him Play With The Leaf. So Cute
Image credits: Edmotix
#12 We Adopted Three Cats: One Is Chill And Friendly, One Is Shy, And Then There's This One
Image credits: plutoboy75
Dogs bond with their humans and may not understand why that bond was suddenly broken, says Rebecca Ruch-Gallie, service chief of community practice at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Additionally, dogs thrive with routine, she says. Entering a shelter for the first time, adoption, acclimation to a new home, and relinquishment to the shelter again can be disorienting for the animal.
As Adrian Burder, Chief Executive for Dogs Trust, said: “Dogs Trust take in thousands of much-loved dogs from heartbroken owners who sadly find themselves unable to continue to care for their dogs due to unavoidable changes in their circumstances, so it’s particularly hard for staff when they see [...] dogs handed in simply because their owners bought them on a whim and consider them little more than toys to be discarded when the novelty wears off.”
But if after all this, you still think that adopting a new pet for Christmas is the right choice for you, veterinarians Bronwyn Orr and Mark Westman have some tips and advice for you. If adopting a pet for a child, remember the parent is ultimately responsible for the pet. Consider adopting an older cat (eight years and over) or a middle-aged dog (five to eight years of age), as they are the hardest to re-home and, thus, spend the longest time in the shelter.
#13 My 10 Year Old Cat Was Lonely, So I Adopted A Kitten For Him. I Think He's Pretty Happy About It
Image credits: cocomooose
#14 Found Her Behind A Trash Bin. Meet My Awesome Little Rescue Kitty Coco
Image credits: timrummy
#15 Just Adopted This Little Guy, He’s Got Battle Damage From His Time On Brooklyn Streets
Image credits: Mikafino2
Christmas decorations and ornaments such as tinsel and Christmas tree hangings can be ingested by the pet by accident, so be aware of that. Dogs also can get very sick with pancreatitis after consuming a fatty meal, so no feeding leftover Christmas ham or sausages. Or chocolate—pups and chocolate don’t mix.
December is an incredibly chaotic month, full of festivities, loud noise and lots of people walking in and out of the home, which can be overwhelming for a new pet. Just this alone may deter one from adopting right in the middle of the holiday season, and perhaps keeping the special occasion for the New Year.
Lots of things to consider and for good measure—we’re speaking about live animals! A bundle of joy, and a bundle of responsibility; one rarely goes without the other. We’re very grateful to Murad for all the insight he shared with us. If you’d like to check out and help support the Santa Fe Animal Shelter, I’ll leave links to their social media here and their website here.
As you continue to scroll through this lovely list, don’t forget to upvote your favorites and leave some comments. I wish you a wonderful New Year and hope to see you in the next one!
#16 We Adopted This Senior Gent, Rigsy, Today! (10 Year Old Collie X Spitz)
Image credits: chrisjfinlay
#17 Dozer Got A Sister For Christmas!
Image credits: fourshotsespresso
#18 Meet Rosie, My Rescue Pup
Image credits: Stoneytreehugger
#19 Spooky Is A Stray Selkirk Rex Kitten With Health Issues Surrendered To The Hospital Who We Are Adopting For Christmas
Image credits: Kashmir79
#20 My New Rescue Loki
Image credits: OG_Skinner
#21 Bunny (12ish) Was Afraid For The First Four Hours After Her Adoption. She Came Out Screaming When She Heard The Fridge Close, Threw Herself Down, And Hasn't Been Quiet Or Left Me Alone Since
Image credits: mimi7600
#22 Our Oldest Rescue Looking After Our Youngest
Image credits: n64_lyf
#23 Just Adopted A Hemingway Polydactyl Kitten... Meet Hammy!
Image credits: auntiechrist23
#24 What It Feels Like To Be The Last In The Litter To Be Adopted
Image credits: Last_Vestige
#25 My Rescued Kitty Is So Grateful
Image credits: LatterTowel9403
#26 Was Making A Video W My Newly Adopted Dog To Show My Friends And Caught This Face
Image credits: StunningWasab1
#27 Just Adopted Sylvester. He Is Showing Off His One Fang And Shredded Ears. He Has Feline Aids And Is The Gentlest Boy
Image credits: JordanPromise
#28 Happy Holidays From Our Foster Kittens!
Image credits: therealchunkdaddy
#29 Newly Adopted Old Cat Found The Cuddly Pup
Image credits: aem1309
#30 This Is Cereza. She Was Rescued From A Dumpster
Image credits: AmericanBranflakes
#31 For My 5th Cake Day, I Present Our Sweet Lily, Our Latest Adoption. She Will Only Put Up With Being Dressed Up By Our Granddaughter, Who Is Clearly Her Favorite!
Image credits: Birdlady42
#32 This Is Mace Our 1.5 Year Old Rescue American Staffy X. Caught Him Winking In His Bow Tie!
Image credits: jessa1234
#33 You Guys!!! This Is Smokey! We Adopted Him Yesterday And I Love Him So Much!
Image credits: peoplegrower
#34 Our Romanian Rescue, Her Name Is Bellerophon But We Call Her Bella For Short. She Is Approximately 50% Ear
Image credits: discolights
#35 Adopted This Guy From The Humane Society. Happiest Christmas Ever!
Image credits: johnieringo
#36 Rescued Screech Owlets
Image credits: JQuest7575
#37 Our Newly Adopted Kitten Is Enjoying His Sunlit Window Bed
Image credits: JonahDST
#38 Rescued A 5 Month Old Stray Over The Weekend. Meet Bruno! He's Still Nervous And Hides From Us But He's Getting Better
Image credits: EversBass
#39 I Think Our Rescue Kitty Is Adapting Well To The Kids
Image credits: carlinha1289
#40 A Week After Adoption. (From A Shy Pupper To A Smiley And Comfy Pupper)
Image credits: CaffeineNMallows
#41 She's A Shelter Rescue, And She's A Little Spicy, So We're Calling Her Sriracha
Image credits: the_tater_salad
#42 My Adopted Babies
Image credits: fakmajfak123
#43 This Is Pod's Reaction To Being Told, He Was In Fact, Adopted!!
Image credits: Greattimes13
#44 Rescue Lizards First Experience Of The Outside World, Look At That Face
Image credits: BookkeeperBig2164
#45 Rescued This Handsome Gentleman, And Rocky Loves Staring At The Christmas Lights
Image credits: JDubStep
#46 Our Newly Adopted Scaredy Cat, Hiding Out In Our Grocery Shelf
Image credits: TastyEdits_Video
#47 Meet Kylo, My Newly Adopted Pitty Mix!
Image credits: tennesseewh-skey
#48 My Shelter Rescue Wants To Say Hello!
Image credits: 5catsandcounting
#49 Newly Adopted, Already Derping
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#50 Roachathy James On Safari! Rescued This Sweet Little Paralyzed Kitten From Reddit - Love These Special Needs Babies!
Image credits: DrPiglette