Pets may find holidays not so jolly.

Byline: SUSAN PALMER The Register-Guard

CORRECTION (ran 12/12/01): A story Monday in the City/Region section misspelled the Web address for the Lane County Animal Regulation Authority. It is: www.co.lane.or.us/ animal_reg/

The golden Labrador with the big brown eyes was the quiet one among the 40 dogs housed in the Lane County Animal Regulation Authority kennels.

He watched office assistant Tina Anderson as she took his picture to post on the county Web site.

"He's so quiet and well-behaved," she said. "He looks like he's so sorry. ... I get so aggravated. Where is his owner? Somebody must love him."

The holidays may give humans something to celebrate, but they're often no treat for animals.

Shelters fill up this time of year, said animal advocate Diana Robertson, who runs the Shelter Animal Resource Alliance, a nonprofit group working to keep abandoned animals from being euthanized.

Fewer people go looking for pets now, and other people give up their unruly pets before the holidays so their guests won't be offended by misbehaving animals, Robertson said. Dogs and cats owned by people who are traveling often get away from caregivers and end up being picked up as strays, she said.

The recession also is taking its toll, said Greenhill Humane Society Executive Director Johnni Prince.

"We're seeing people relinquishing dogs because of the economy," she said, putting a strain on the nonprofit agency, which relies on donations for its programs.

Both the county and the humane society's kennels were full this past week. The county's 30 dog pens held as many as 40 dogs and the cattery was maxed out at 14 cats and kittens. Greenhill's kennels held 40 dogs, with 150 cats and kittens in the cattery.

"We keep waiting for kitten season to end and it hasn't," Prince said.

The bursting-at-the-seams county kennels belie the fact that the number of adoptions is increasing there, said Mike Wellington, authority manager. Workers found homes for 444 dogs in fiscal 2000-01, up from 279 the previous fiscal year, which runs from July through June. And those numbers are likely to continue climbing, Wellington said. From July through October this year, 395 dogs were adopted.

Wellington credits a streamlined adoption process for the change as well as a new Web site that posts pictures of the strays online.

Everyone who works with the animals would love to see them in good homes for the holidays, but holiday adoptions can be a problem, Prince said.

Making a gift of a dog or cat is a risky business, she said.

"Giving pets in and of itself is not a terrible thing, but there are so many `yeah, buts' around it," she said.

No one should ever give a pet as a surprise gift, and there should be a long consultation about the appropriate pet for the person and the home or apartment where it will live. Much better to give a gift certificate for an adoptive pet than to make a bad match, she said.

Those who do want to bring a pet home for the holidays should consider first how chaotic the household will be. "If there are going to be a lot of strangers coming and going, that just increases everybody's stress," Prince said.

"You have to assess what your home is going be like," Prince said. "If it's business as usual, that's fine. Unless your home is not going to be appreciably different, I wouldn't bring a new animal into it."

Instead, she recommends putting pictures of the potential adoptee on the tree, or pet accessories such as a leash, toy or bedding under the tree in anticipation of the new family member. The pet can be brought home once the chaos has ended, she said.

Most of the animals that end up at the county and at the humane society shelter have something to offer, the county's Anderson said.

The county's own office dog, A.C., is proof of that. When the owners brought in the bright-eyed, black-and-white collie mutt, he was an unlikely candidate for adoption because of a biting habit and wound up on the killing table in the euthanasia room.

A strategically delivered sloppy wet dog kiss commuted his sentence, Anderson said. The animal control officer charged with killing unwanted animals couldn't bring himself to end A.C.'s life.

Now A.C.'s on the team. His biting habit gone, he's an official greeter and companion that all 13 employees enjoy.

"When things get stressful, we call A.C. and give him a hug. He has that love and that unconditional loyalty," Anderson said. "But they're all special. They all deserve a good home."

HOLIDAY PET TIPS

Dogs and cats often suffer while the rest of us are making merry from Thanksgiving through New Year's. Here's how to ease the stress.

Leaving town? Put pets in a boarding kennel or hire an insured, bonded pet sitter. If a friend or family member will be caring for your pet, make sure dogs are registered with county animal control and cats have collars with identification or microchip IDs. Leave a letter granting your caregiver permission to retrieve your pet from LCARA if it gets picked up as a stray. Your pet sitter should know the name and phone number of your pet's veterinarian and should also have a note from you indicating that you will pay for care if your animal becomes sick or injured while you are gone.

Decorations: Keep holiday tree ornaments secured firmly to the tree and out of reach of cats and dogs. Tinsel and ribbon are especially hard on pets. Kittens and dogs like chewing on electrical cords, so keep them away from light strings.

Plants: Some pets love munching the greenery, and holiday favorites such as holly and mistletoe are poisonous, while poinsettias can cause severe intestinal problems.

Food: Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, makes dogs seriously ill and too much of it can kill them. Wrapped presents that may contain candy shouldn't be left under Christmas trees. Other human food should also be out of bounds for pets, including fatty foods; turkey and chicken bones; and even raw onions, leeks and garlic.

More information: www.healthypet.com; www.co.lane.or.us/animal_reg; and www.green-hill.org.

Adoptions: Contact Lane County Animal Regulation Authority, 3970 W. First Ave., Eugene, 682-3647; or Greenhill Humane Society, 88530 Green Hill Road, Eugene, 689-1503.