Many of us are scurrying around looking for those last minutes gifts.

Kim Hessel from Heaven Can Wait animal shelter in High River says a pet is not a good idea, especially at this time of year.

"Christmas a particularly busy time of year for most people, there's a lot of different things going on and truthfully I think it's a little too busy a time to invite an animal in," she says. "We usually recommend waiting until things calm down until New Years, if a family is serious about getting an animal and bringing one into the home, waiting another two weeks is not going to be the end of the world."

Hessel says if you already have pets at home it's important to keep them in mind to make sure they're safe around ornaments on the tree and other household hazards.

She says otherwise you might be making a trip to an emergency vet and because the pain and suffering of your pet there's also the big bill you can expect later on.

"We really do have to be aware of what are animals are are getting into, foreign objects are very common this time of year where dogs and cats for that matter can ingest things that get stuck in their system and generally requires a vet visit if not surgery," Hessel says. "Things that fall off the tree, tinsel is not as much of a factor now, but any of those dangly things that animals can ingest can get stuck in their intestine or bowel and that's a really difficult thing for them to go through and that's an expensive surgery you don't need this time of year."

Hessel is wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season.

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