By Darlene Gunther, Special Advertising Sections Writer

Think carefully before giving a pet to your child this holiday season, says the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

“It’s important to remember that animal shelters and their innocent charges will suffer the effects of impulse purchases of pets as gifts,” said Nancy Peterson, a companion animal issues specialist for HSUS in a press release. “We need to remember that pets can’t simply be returned or discarded like a broken toy.”

If you do decide on a pet as a gift, the Humane Society recommends waiting until after the frantic holidays to make the actual purchase. In the meantime, give a “passport” gift instead. That could be a gift certificate from a pet shop or local shelter, or a stuffed animal representing the new puppy to be adopted.

Gifts that help prepare children for the new arrivals are recommended by the National Assn. for Humane and Environmental Education (NAHEE), an educational branch of the Humane Society.

The nonprofit agency posts on its website, www.nahee.org, a list of children’s books and movies that reflect compassion for animals. Preparing your child to treat a new animal with respect might include, for instance, watching such movies as “Babe” or “My Dog Skip.”

The website also sells coloring books, board games, books and CDs that answer kids’ questions about animals, encourage safe play with pets or provide inspirational tales about showing kindness to people and animals.

“Play it Safe with Dogs,” a Spanish-English coloring book from the Humane Society Press, contains lessons for children, such as when it is smart to avoid dogs and how to approach a dog on the street so it won’t bite.

(Walk up slowly to the dog from the side, speak softly, turn a hand palms-down and let the dog sniff it.)

The coloring book is part of the “Color Me Kind” set of three coloring books ($8), which also includes “How to Be a Helping Hand for Dogs and Cats” and “Sharing Our World with Wildlife.”

Stuffed animals can also be effective for getting children acquainted with animals. The American Kennel Club has produced “First AKC Puppy Kit,” ($55 at www.faoschwarz.com), with items necessary to have on hand before a puppy is brought home. The Day 1 window has the poem “Fresh food and water are a must; for these essentials it’s you I trust.” Behind it is a stainless-steel water bowl. The last window, Day 5, “The day arrived! Your puppy is here” opens to reveal a stuffed Steiff puppy, which the child can use to learn how to hold a puppy properly.

The new interractive “Cold Nose Puppy” from Amazing Pets (about $30 at www.etoys.com) can be used to show children how puppies respond to being touched correctly.

When the stuffed dog is rubbed on its head or belly, it barks, wags its tail and gives cold-nose kisses.

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