By KAY S. PEDROTTI

Staff Writer

When the "new" wears off a child's Christmas toys, there's an option to stash them on a closet shelf for a while or throw them away. Not so for kittens and puppies, said Fayette County Animal Shelter manager Bill Newman.

"Every year at Christmas," Newman said, "people get so excited about giving pets to their children. They don't stop to think that the care and feeding and cleaning up after this pet is going to get really old. Then if the parents don't want to take up the job, they try to bring them to us.

"We don't handle owned animals at all, only strays," he said. "So some people put them out and let them become strays. That's cruel and dangerous."

There is a Fayette County leash law for both dogs and cats, Newman added. Pet owners also are encouraged to spay or neuter their pets as soon as possible, since the population of unwanted animals most of whom are killed by starvation, accident or shelter euthanasia is growing.

"Please research the different breeds of dogs before you decide on a puppy for Christmas," Newman continued. "Find out which ones are good with and for children, which ones may have a tendency toward medical problems, which ones are the most active and need more room to run.

"An animal isn't something you can throw away when you're done with it."

Both dogs and cats must be vaccinated for rabies annually also, Newman added. For more information about the shelter, call 770-487-6450.

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