Now in the countdown to Christmas, many Beaufort County residents are seeking the perfect gift for a loved one. Sometimes it’s a challenge to find that perfect gift. Other times, it’s deceptively simple.

Say, the child who has been begging for a pet for months — a puppy or kitten to call their own.

The joy in a child’s eyes when he or she sees a new pet for the first time is a sight to behold. That new puppy or new kitten is the gift that keeps on giving, but what many might not realize is that it’s also a gift that needs to be given to for the remainder of that animal’s life.

Pets require time. They require attention. They require responsibility. And they require money.

Unfortunately, once the newness of pet ownership wears off, some don’t want that kind of commitment, leading to an annual spike many shelters’ numbers during the holiday season.

There are those who drop off a senior pet before the holiday to make room in the household for a puppy or kitten; there are others who decide pet ownership isn’t for them and surrender a new pet after the holiday. A common explanation for surrenders is that the pet was a gift to a child/children but the child/children won’t take care of it. What should be acknowledged going into giving the gift of a pet is that the pet is a gift to whole family. Expecting a child to be a pet’s sole caretaker is pretty unreasonable — expecting a child to help care for that pet, however, is reasonable.

So, for those in search of a pet this year, or the perfect gift that comes in the form of an adorable, roly-poly ball of fur, remember the walks and meals, the training and the vet visits, the cost of toys and food and medicines. That roly-poly ball of fur isn’t an ill-fitting sweater that can be returned to the store from which it came.

Make sure those being gifted a pet actually want a pet. Make sure a lifetime commitment is being promised before the idea of a new pet takes hold. Pets don’t deserve to be abandoned to shelters because their owners (or givers) hadn’t thought out the responsibility involved. And our shelters don’t deserve to be inundated with perfectly sweet animals whose only fault is in not being able to take care of themselves.