Shelter Offers Special Christmas Eve Delivery Santa Claus and his elves are working overtime at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter this holiday season. The jolly guy and his buddies are ready to deliver any animal adopted from the shelter to loving families in the area on Christmas Eve.
S
anta Claus delivery has become an annual tradition at the shelter, where placing pre-adopted animals in loving homes is a perk of the job, says Dylan Moore, the shelter’s director of adoptions. Moore, an imposing guy who stands well over six ft. tall, enjoys dressing up as Santa Claus and delivering furry friends to awe-struck children and their families. He plans to do it again this year and hopes to enlist an elf or two – members of his staff of volunteers – as helpers. Potential adopters are welcome to pre-adopt the animals and the shelter will hold them until the Christmas Eve delivery. The adoptions must take place by December 24. There is no cost for the delivery, although a donation is always appreciated.
“People really do enjoy this fun service,” Moore says. “Anyone who adopts any animal – snake, rabbit, gerbil, cat, dog, kitten or puppy – can take advantage of the special delivery.” Adopters still fill out a questionnaire to ensure they get the best match for their family. High-energy animals, for example, may not be suited for people with mobility issues, and allergies are always a concern, as well as rental contracts that forbid companion animals. “Our goal is to make everyone happy – humans and animals,” he said. “A companion animal can bring a family a lifetime of joy, but it has to be the best fit.” A study of about 2,600 dogs and 2,300 cats relinquished to 12 shelters in four regions of the United States found that dogs relinquished to shelters had most frequently come from friends, shelters and breeders. Relinquished dogs infrequently came from
pet shops, as gifts or from veterinarians. That study, the ASPCA noted, found that the odds of dog relinquishment were higher when getting an animal from a shelter, a friend, as a stray or from a pet shop, compared to receiving an animal as a gift. Similarly, the ASPCA said most cats relinquished to shelters had originally come from friends, as strays and from shelters. Relinquished cats infrequently came from breeders, veterinarians or were gifts. The survey findings help open new adoption options for shelters. The ASPCA recommends that people should give pets as gifts only to those people who have expressed an interest in owning one and have the ability to care for it responsibly. For more information about adopting an animal from the shelter for Christmas Eve, contact an adoption counselor at 505.983.4309 ext. 610.