LOCAL
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
A13
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Tree of Giving: From left, Randy Morgan and Chad Stangel look
over some of the 93 food baskets packed as volunteers get
ready to distribute them along with bags of presents to area
families Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021, at the Enterprise Elks Lodge.
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
An infl atable Nativity scene shows the birth of Christ in front of a home on Kurtz Street in Enterprise.
Longtime local concert pianist Gail Swart, left, joins Rebecca
Lenahan for a duet Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at Enterprise
Christian Church while Lenahan’s violin students wait to
perform their fi rst-ever Christmas concert held in a church.
Tips for giving a pet as a gift this Christmas
By ANN BLOOM
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — If you
have children in your home,
or you reared children, you
may have experienced the
following conversation, or
one like it, at some point in
your life:
Child: “Mom? Dad?
Can I have a puppy for
Christmas?”
Parent:
“A puppy?
Uh…”
Perhaps you’ve even
experienced it this year. If
so, and you’re wondering
what to do, take heart. The
Wallowa County Humane
Society can help you nav-
igate the tricky waters of
holiday pet giving so every-
one has a safe and happy
pet giving and gifting
experience.
“Realistically, (a pet) is
a gift for the whole family,”
said Carol Vencill, presi-
dent of the Wallowa County
Humane Society.
She said it’s best if you
know the person really
wants a pet, if it’s another
person or a relative, other
than children.
“It’s a very personal
choice. How can we choose
for someone else?” she
said.
She said the Humane
Society feels gifting a pet
to someone is an important
decision.
The Humane Society
takes each case individu-
ally, said Vencill. A friend
may have good intentions,
but “if their friend isn’t
where they need to be”
when it comes to getting or
receiving a pet, then it may
not be a good idea.
“It’s important to have
a plan. To think beyond
the excitement, and be pre-
pared,” she said.
She mentioned going on
walks and teaching the pet
the rules of the household
and what will happen to the
pet when people must work
eight hours a day and the
pet will be alone. All things
to consider before bringing
a pet into someone’s life.
“There’s a way to do
things if you really want
it,” she said. “What we rec-
ommend is buy the toys, the
treats, a bed — items the
pet will need. Wrap them
up and give that to the per-
son for Christmas.”
Then tell the person they
can pick out their pet after
Christmas when there is not
so much commotion, and it
will be less stressful for the
pet. This will build up the
pet, they (the children) can
take on responsibilities.”
With all the parties going
on, and people on vacation,
the Humane Society will
keep a pet for someone, in
foster care, and allow the
family to pick it up after
the holidays. This helps
make the transition to a new
home as smooth as possible
for the pet, she explained.
She stressed the importance
of teaching the pet the rules
of the family.
“If you don’t give it
time, it’s hard on the pet,”
she said.
If supervision is not
“IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE A
PLAN. TO THINK BEYOND THE
EXCITEMENT, AND BE PREPARED.”
— Carol Vencill, president of the Wallowa County Humane Society
anticipation of getting the
pet.
“It’s part of the fun —
the anticipation after the
holidays — we get to go
look for the pet. Prepare for
that puppy before you ever
bring it home,” she said.
Another idea, she said, is
to take a picture of the pet
and put it in a gift basket, or
a stocking, with the treats
and toys, and give the bas-
ket, to the person/child and
say, “Here’s your kitty!”
The Humane Society cur-
rently has a waiting list for
dogs, but has many kittens
available for adoption.
As to when is an appro-
priate age to give a pet
to a child, Vencill says it
depends on the supervision
and the parent. There are
diff erent stages of a child
and a dog, she explained.
“Pets are a wonder-
ful thing,” she said, but
stressed that a baby and a
toddler appear diff erent to
a dog, than an adult or a
child. “When you take on a
available, or possible, a
new pet can be placed in a
crate in a quiet place with
food, water and toys, to
wait for quieter moments,
if the pet seems stressed, by
all the busy goings on of a
new household. Or the pet’s
crate can be placed in a cor-
ner of a room so it can still
see the activities, and be
part of the family, but have
its own space.
The holidays can be a
joyous and fun-fi lled time,
but also full of a lot of activ-
ity, which can be stress-
ful for a new pet. The hol-
idays are also full of things
that are not normally avail-
able and can pose a danger
to pets. Things such as dec-
orations. Vencill said lights
pose a hazard because “a
puppy or cat can chew
through a light cord.
Ornaments can break.
Garland — popcorn and
cranberries — pose a chok-
ing hazard. Tinsel, which is
now plastic-coated, is long
and can be swallowed and
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“is just another hazard,” she
said.
She added that peo-
ple are also baking more
and there are more sugary
treats and chocolate around.
Chocolate is poisonous
to pets, as are raisins, all
things that can go into hol-
iday baked goods. It goes
without saying that alcohol
is a big no-no for animals.
Pets can suff er from alco-
hol poisoning, just as peo-
ple can, stated Vencill.
“Dogs like carrots. Car-
rots are great for dogs —
not raisins or grapes,” she
said.
The Humane Society
is happy to help with any
questions a person or fam-
ily has regarding how to
safeguard their pet during
this holiday time or how
to give a pet as a gift. The
Humane Society number is
541-263-0336.
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