The Door County Campus of the Wisconsin Humane Society says pet adoptions are now the result of a fair bit of homework. The idea of research, visits, health check-ups, and preparation used to be the norm only for making purchases from a breeder. Marketing Coordinator Shaina Allen says the conventional wisdom regarding a spike in pets being left at a shelter once the holiday euphoria wears off doesn’t play out in reality.

According to Allen, it is more common for someone to have spent six months mulling over the decision to adopt a pet than a week or less.