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Entertainment School News Letters to Santa WW HERALD 6 illllAjty SECTION B Wednesday December IN THE HILLS Religion Seniors Youth Page Pets as Christmas presents often abandoned By LISA BOONSTOPPELPOT The Herald If you intend to give someone a pet for Christmas consider that although youre intentions may be good the outcome for pets is often not Nothing can be ore exciting for Christmas than a warm cuddly adorable puppy or a fluffy playful kitten if the person receiving the animal wants and is prepared to take care of it If the receiver doesnt he or she may not get past the fact that pup pies and kittens make a mess whine can be constantly under foot and especially puppies require a lot of attention and training If that person doesnt want to bother what happens to the animal Thats what the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and a local veterinarian is asking Christmas gift givers to consider this holiday season Every year numerous pets are given as Christmas presents and every year many of these animals are deposited at the local animal shelter a day or two after Christ mas said Glenn Perrett the publications coordinator for the OSPCA Heather White the education coordinator for the Oakville Humane Society said theres always an increase in the number of Acton Veterinary clinic technician Annette and veterinarian Dr Stephen Hess hold up Pork chop one of the many abandoned and refected cats he takes In to the clinic to nurse back to health He said often animals which are given as Christmas pets are abandoned and urges anyone to give careful consideration before deciding to give someone a pet for Christmas Herald Photo Keep your pet away from sweets One year we had an animal who ate a marshmellow filled with pins which had been used to decorate a Christmas tree he recalls We had to operate on the animal to save its life he Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals OSPCA states in a press release that pet owners should also be aware of how many other treats such as cookies and candies a pet consumes because it can cause diarrhea and lead to upsets As well some common holiday Christmas plants are toxic to pets By LISA The Herald Chocolate Its only sweet and fattening for humans but for pets its often deadly During the holiday season many people celebrate with candy cake and chocolate and fill their homes with Christmas decorations all per fectly safe for people but often dangerous for pets Stephen Hess a veterinarian with the Acton Veterinary Clinic says Christmas time is a dangerous time to have a young animal Every year he- gets a chocolate poisoning case where a pet con sumes a large amount of chocolate which can have a toxic affect on the animal Other yearly problems he sees are animals who ve ingested or or tinsel from Christmas trees Three of the more common are the and the berries of the holly and mistletoe Often cats will find these plants enticing but if they are eaten they can case severe vomiting diarrhea and ab dominal pain Family important at Christmas By KATHY TAYLOR The Christmas season is fast approaching with decorating shopping bright lights and carols playing everywhere This year make Christmas ex tra special for you and your fami ly by making your own traditions Set aside some time to spc- with your children Take a walk exploring the lights in your neighbourhood Make a Christmas gether Perhaps bake a gingerbread house or some cookies Make a gift for someone on your list Bun die up nice and warm and make in the snow Christmas is the season that seems to bring all mankind together because Christmas out the kid in all of us Kathy Taylor is an E teacher and is the teacher at the Georgetown Parent Child Centre She is the mother of one and en joys children The Parent Child Centre Is located at Mountain South873 2960 animals dropped off at the shelter around Christmas time We receive at least to 20 animals after Christmas because people got them for gifts and didnt want them she said All kinds of animals are dropped off from puppies to In their press release OPSCA said there are several reasons why pets do not usually make good Christmas gifts Often the recipient does not even want a pet said Mr Even if they do chances are the rson wants to choose his or her animal and if not involved in he selection process may be disap pointed For example if a person had his heart set on a large breed he could be really disappointed if presented with a toy breed Another important consideration is having a pet often means a long commitment Depending on the age of the animal the owner may be for the pets well being for up to years stated the press release If the dog is given to a teenager who will look after the animal if the teenager decides to go to university Stephen Hess a veterinarian at the Acton Veterinary Clinic agrees that gift givers should carefully consider the con sequences before giving a pet as a Christmas gift Beyond the cuteness and appeal of a pet one has to con sider who the receiver is and if that person is prepared to take on the responsibility of caring for a pet satdDr Hess If the person doesnt want it they can stuff it away like an ugly lamp A pet needs to be fed cared for and trained He recommends that if a pet is to be given it might be best for the receiver to know its coming It may take the excitement out of giving but the reward of making sure the receiver wants and is ready for a pet is worth it said Dr Hess Another way to ensure that the receiver gets exactly the type breed color and temperament of pet they want is to give the person a card saying theyll get a pet and leave it to them to choose the pet suggests Dr Hess Unwanted pets in Hal ton Hills are usually dropped off at Animal Control in or the Oakville Humane Society Ms White said animals dropped off at the humane society are usually kept there until readopted which can take up to half a year This bothers her because the rejec ted animals can sustain emotional damage from the experience For puppies and kittens the fir st six months of their life is a critical time when they need lots of social contact she said In a shelter they dont always get that and it can lead to behavioral problems The message to all who are con sidering giving a pet as a gift is that the person who receives an un wanted pet will only be in convenienced or disappointed while its the animal that pays the biggest price John Reeve owner of Feed and Pet Supply store on Mill St in Acton has low maintenance pets for sale this season such as a Peruvian Guinea Pig and Cockatails He doesnt sell a tot of pets at Christmas except for budgies which is fine with him because he like other animal lovers Is concerned about how well some pets fare when given as Christmas presents Herald Photo TV Ontario visits the Herald Hills protest group POWER got more than local coverage at a protest Monday They were filmed by TV Ontano to be part of a series called Waste Not Protect Our Environment and Water Resources POWER was protesting the Acton dump when Premier Bob came to town Monday to open a business and TV Ontano filmed the entire event from placard making to the sal Of the shows in the Waste Not series approximately six will focus on how a grass roots protest groups gets started and remains effective said series host and cameraman David Stringer We followed the mechanism behind a protest and talked to them about their strategy and then filmed the actual event he ex plained After the protest Mr Stringer and reporter Keith Lennox in terviewed Halton Hills Herald political reporter Ben to get his comments on how a protest group can effectively reach the media When someone starts a group they need to deal with politicians and the press and we talked to Mr Dummett to out how they can best do that said Mr Stringer The remaining episodes of the series will focus on recycling and reusing he said This is kind of a guide for people at home who wonder what to put in their blue box what happens to the stuff and what to do with their waste around home The two have been working on the series since August and it will begin airing in March Halton Hills political reporter Ben Dummet was filmed and Interviewed by TV Ontario reporters Keith Lennox left and David Stringer right Dec as part of their series on Waste Not an en guide TV Ontario was In town to cover the POWER protest at Mold masters and came to the Herald to discuss how environmental groups can effectively reach the media Herald Photo