Article: Pets may seem like great holiday gifts, but they require work.(The Seattle Times)

Byline: Stephanie Dunnewind

SEATTLE _ Pets can be a wonderful addition to a family, but parents need to resist an impulse buy of a cute kitten or puppy around the holidays, experts say.

"People see a basket full of puppies with red bows and feel badly because the puppy will be all alone on Christmas," said Colleen Paige, an animal behaviorist and owner of Seattle's University Dog. "People have good intentions, but they aren't thinking seriously. The puppy doesn't know it's Christmas."

Too often, pet purchases are made without proper research or forethought _ which means some animals end up back at shelters when they grow up and become too big, ...

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