Local Shelter Sees Spike in Adoptions

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “We’ve seen a massive influx of people coming through our door,” says Amanda Carlson of PETS Inc. It’s a busy day at PETS Inc., in Columbia and workers are not surprised. “December is just a popular time for adoptions,” says Carlson. The proof is in the numbers. “The past week we did 104 adoptions,” says Carlson. Seventeen of those were on Christmas Eve alone. But how many of them are going home as gifts? “I imagine probably 50/50,” says Carlson. However, giving someone a pet for Christmas isn’t as easy, as say buying them a pair of shoes or a gift card. “Make sure the person you are going to give it to is really on board,” says Carlson. And for good reason. “If you’ve never raised a puppy or a kitten, they can be more demanding than you may realize,” says Carlson. So far, out of the more than one hundred adoptions only one of those has been returned. “We did have one kittlen that was adopted out that was semi-feril and ended up just not being a good fit,” says Carlson. But those who returned the kitten did not go home empty handed, instead they took an older cat home. Employees at PETS Inc., say while they love to see animals find a new home, they understand that sometimes these little Christmas gifts will come back. “I think that’s always a concern, sometimes when adopting an animal you may not realize what you are setting yourself up for,” says Carlson. But for now, they will continue to help these furry friends find homes and they aren’t expecting business to slow down, especially during this time of year. “It’s been tride and true for the 20 years that we’ve been here,” says Carlson.