Court sparks controversy by equating animal adoptions with Christmas gifts: "It's sentimental consumerism"

PalmMÁS per Palma has criticized the Palma City Council's campaign to promote animal adoption during Christmas, arguing that it "promotes impulsive adoptions" and "perpetuates the idea that animals are Christmas gifts." The eco-sovereignist party has come out against the graphic, which features a sad dog sitting in front of a Christmas ornament depicting a happy family with another dog, accompanied by the message "Adopt them. They also want a Merry Christmas." According to MÁS, the campaign is "ethically inappropriate" and "communicatively dangerous." "This doesn't improve animal welfare; it's cheap sentimental marketing. You can't play with the lives of animals or families like this," stated MÁS councilor Neus Truyol. The party is calling for this "emotional and seasonal" campaign to be replaced with a "responsible and continuous year-round" communication model. She proposes offering ongoing information that clearly explains the long-term commitment involved in adoption, promotes a rigorous evaluation process, and avoids linking adoption to commercial holidays. "Adoption is not a consumerist Christmas act; it's a life-changing decision that involves years of responsibility. We need prepared families, not emotional impulses fueled by a Christmas card," Truyol emphasized.

Returns

MÁS points out that animal shelters and animal rights organizations warn of the same phenomenon every year: impulsive Christmas adoptions lead to "an exponential increase in returns shortly afterward." According to the party, decisions made by parents "under emotional pressure" and the idea of "animals as surprise gifts" generate "suffering and instability" in pets. "When the City Council runs campaigns that appeal to sentimental consumerism, it fuels precisely what animal shelters are trying to prevent. The data proves it: hasty adoptions end up harming the animals," the councilwoman emphasized. MÁS also criticizes the message "they also wish a Merry Christmas," considering that it attributes to animals "human desires linked to commercial holidays." "Animals don't need Christmas, but rather stable homes, real commitment, and rigorous public policies," she stated. The group has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the campaign and the creation of a communication model based on "responsibility" and not on "seasonal emotionalism." "Palma must promote respect and care for animals. If institutions don't set an example, who will?" Truyol concluded.