THE team at Kingaroy RSPCA always love to see one of their furry friends adopted, but what they don’t love is when it’s not a well thought-through decision.

Belle Barnes from the Kingaroy RSPCA said the summer holidays were always a busy time of year at the animal shelter.

“It’s kind of great how many get adopted over the Christmas period,” Ms Barnes said.

“But what isn’t great is when they’re back at the shelter in the new year all because people didn’t think through the adoption, or they weren’t ready to commit.”

Ms Barnes said it was best to approach adoption from the perspective of what you could do for the animal, and how much time you were willing to put in to improving their standard of living.

“When adopting it’s important to remember it’s really a big commitment,” she said.

“It may not be for your whole life but it should be for theirs.

“You will be their forever home and their entire life.

“It’s not all that different from children — they need your unconditional love and ­support.”

She said some animals that ended up at RSPCA shelters had experienced a tough start to life, something new owners needed to be considerate of.

“We do everything we can to make sure they are up to adoption,” Ms Barnes said.

“However certain dogs or cats will need certain ­attention.

“They all have different needs, whether these are behavioural or what they can eat.”

The Kingaroy RSPCA team said they would always do their best to team potential “furever” families with an animal who they were best suited to, however it helped if customers were also willing to do their own research.

“We have a lot of information on our website to help you decide if you are ready to adopt and whether you can commit,” Ms Barnes said.

“We want to make sure it’s the right decision for you and the pet.

“Take a look at the fact sheets on our website and research the breed.

“Then when you’re 100 per cent sure come and see us.”

Visit rspca.org.au.