Puppy number 8616, also known as Noel, is a foster child of sorts. Sent to the Animal Rescue League of El Paso shelter in Canutillo after someone found her and fellow siblings under a trailer, she was given a new name and home just in time for Christmas. But less than a month later, she's back at Animal Rescue for "being too playful" according to kennel manager, Loretta Hyde.

Hyde typically sees animals given back to the shelter that were once Christmas gifts, but she said usually doesn't see a big number of returns until April as the pets get bigger. Now, only January of 2012, Hyde counts 21 puppies calling the Canutillo shelter home. Some of the puppies were found in ditches, others running in the road, and some were dropped off directly at the shelter, like Noel.

"Sometimes they don't want that christmas present, you know," said Hyde. "It's like the tie or the sweater you didn't want, but you got it anyway. Puppies are fun, but after a few days you've got the digging, the chewing, the jumping, the remote controls that seem to disappear."

Hyde says the age of the 21 puppies, none of which are more than a few months old, is what makes her wary that they're discarded Christmas gifts. Animal Rescue is a "no-kill" shelter, but as the pens fill up with more animals, there soon won't be a vacancy and unwanted animals will be turned away.

"We try to screen potential adopters and make sure they understand 'have you done your homework? Are you sure this is what you want? This is life time commitment' but we still get returns," Hyde said. "After a while you learn that they're only telling you want you want to hear."

Besides trying to be proactive by screening adopters, both Animal Rescue and the Humane Society of El Paso offer gift cards for people looking to give an animal as a gift.

"That way the potential adopter can come in and pick their own pet," said Betty Hoover, executive director of Humane Society of El Paso. "You don't get a pet to put in the backyard or to tie it up. You get a pet to be part of the family. Adopting a pet in my eyes is no less than adopting a child."

Hoover also said while Christmas is the holiday that typically results in the most returns, Valentine's Day is second as couples try for "puppy love."