You might have heard the urban legend about New Yorkers bringing baby alligators from Florida as pets for their children, only to flush them down the drain when they grow too big to be considered cute, causing New York's sewers to become infested with giant alligators.

Although this story has been disputed a number of times, it's safe to say that had the alligator-buyers thought ahead, they would have realized that large reptiles aren't suitable as pets.

Just as some tiny reptiles grow into big alligators, cute and cuddly puppies and kittens grow into dogs and cats that need special care and attention.

Although giving a puppy or kitten as a gift may not be as extreme as trying to make an alligator into a pet, it does require caution.

While it is may be acceptable for a parent to buy an animal for their child as a gift, because the parent is most likely to have primary responsibility for the pet, Jennifer Harris, Nacogdoches Animal Shelter supervisor, said that the same doesn't apply when buying a pet for an adult.

"I would not recommend buying an animal as a gift for an adult," Harris said. "There's a lot of responsibility that comes with owning a pet, and the person may not be prepared to care for the animal.

"The only way to give an animal as a gift is to come in with the person you are buying the animal for and let them pick it out, and you just pay for it. It won't be a surprise, but this is the only acceptable way."

Harris said those who have come into the shelter wanting to adopt a pet as a gift for someone else have been given other options.

"Instead of turning people away, I have asked them to bring in the individual they are wanting to give the 'gift' to so they can decide if they are ready for the responsibility of a life-long commitment of adopting an animal," Harris said.

Owning a pet takes a lot of time and patience, she added.

"Some people don't realize how much time it takes to take care of an animal," Harris said. "Vet bills will also cost money."

With Christmas hastily approaching, Harris said the animal shelter has seen more people coming in looking to adopt animals.

"There has been a huge increase of adoptions during the past month, but I am not sure if it is just due to the holidays," Harris said. "The adopt-a-pet trees that were put up at the shelter, Connolly Animal Clinic and Goody's have brought a lot of people into the shelter to adopt."

Cards that include pictures and basic information about the different animals up for adoption are posted on each of the adopt-a-trees.

People who do not want to adopt an animal can help in other ways, Harris said.

"They can donate to get the pet spayed or neutered, pay the $30 adoption fee for an animal donate toys or treats for the animals," Harris said.

Once someone has donated to a specific animal, the animal's card will then be removed from the tree.

"We hope that by Christmas all the cards will be down from the trees," Harris said.

After the first of December, the adoption rate increased, she said.

"It states in our adoption contract that you cannot adopt a pet to give as a gift to someone," Harris said. "Our adoption process is stricter during the holiday season. We're more cautious with applicants, and we conduct one-on-one screenings with applicants.

"We will also conduct home visits around the holiday season to see if the pet is really with the adopter."

Another practice of animal shelter employees is to call the adopters to check on the pets one week after the adoptions, Harris said.

"We want to make sure that the pet is in a good home and with the rightful owner," she said.

In past years, after the holidays were over, a few cats and dogs were turned over to the shelter. In most cases, the owners who adopted them during the holiday season realized they could not make a long-term commitment to care for them, Harris said.

"We are not flooded with them," Harris said. "There are a few that do come in, but nothing like the amount we see after graduation and spring break."

In some cases, the shelter will see an influx of surrendered animals after a movie has been released that featured a particular animal, she said.

"For example, after "101 Dalmatians" was released, a lot of people got Dalmatian pups," Harris said. "But after the 'craze' of a movie dies down, you will see all those animals (surrendered to) the shelter."