1. Avoid the Christmas/Hannukah holiday puppy or kitty if at all possible.
For ALL the reasons mentioned above, the holidays are a crummy time to bring a new pet home to live with you in their new forever home.
In order to set your newest family member up for success, you need to set up simple routines for them that will keep them grounded and help them understand what is expected of them.
Imagine you were toilet training a toddler. Sometimes you’d remember to take them to the toilet. Then you would forget and leave, and they would have not choice to but soil their pants, and then get in trouble for it. Not fun!
If you are getting an animal from someone, see if they will keep your new arrival until the holidays are over. Especially if kept with their mom and/or siblings, a few extra days of maturing in the case of puppies and kittens is always a good thing.
If they absolutely must come to you before/during the holidays, plan ahead for their routines and stick to them! For any animal coming into a strange environment, routines act like a security blanket.
Your routines with your pets are the best way to set them up for success in joining your family.
