Comments on: Christmas Puppy – Are They A Good Gift?

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:06:43 +0000

I watched a video on utube of a family giving a puppy for chrismas .From what i could see the poor thing was in some kind of a container and I can just imagine how it felt .All this noise of kids around it ,new home ,new smells .I just thought poor thing .
I wonder how long it will be before the novelty wears off. The only thing I can hope for is that the adults have taken the responsibility of rearing the puppy and they themselves have done thier own research on what to do .

By: CanuckPet

CanuckPet — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:10:33 +0000

Thank you so much for speaking out, the number of puppies that end up in shelters come January when everyone is back to work or school is heartbreaking.

By: Colby

Colby — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:19:37 +0000

@Kathy, thanks for sharing. Here’s the link to Kathy’s article on A Puppy For Christmas.

By: Colby

Colby — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:23:43 +0000

Here’s an important point from the article:

“i Don’t put a puppy or kitten under the tree. Moving to a new home can be overwhelming for a dog or cat, so imagine moving into a home on Christmas Day. There’s a lot going on, which can either stress out the animal or cause people to be distracted from caring for it, Motko said.”

By: Kathy

Kathy — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:34:30 +0000

I just wrote an article myself about why a chrismas puppy is not a good idea.
My husband produced an add some years ago about why getting a puppy at chrismas usually ends in another one for the shelter.
A puppy is not a commodity.

By: Colby

Colby — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:57:02 +0000

@Dog Grooming Scottsdale, I totally agree…dogs are a huge responsibility and are definitely one of those gifts that shouldn’t be a surprise..

As we mentioned earlier try giving something like a dog collar, dog toy, or dog bed as the gift and at that time discuss your idea of giving a dog as a gift. It’s much easier to return a dog toy rather than the actual dog.

By: Colby

Colby — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:49:29 +0000

@Wendy, good point on puppies in the winter time. I usually don’t think too much about the seasons because I live in southern California. However, the day I picked up Linus from the animal shelter it rained for about two weeks straight. Needless to say I had a difficult time convincing him it was a good idea to go outside and pee while it was raining. I ended up carrying him out to the grass then carrying him back into the house.

By: Dog Grooming Scottsdale

Dog Grooming Scottsdale — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:14:06 +0000

I think it is soooo dangerous to get pets as gifts. I did that once and we ended up getting rid of the poor little thing. I think getting a dog is one of those gifts that can’t be a surprise.

You have to talk about it before hand and make sure that you can care for it a week later. Really nice site though and good article.

By: Colby

Colby — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:07:51 +0000

It's funny how many articles I've noticed across the internet that are now posting information about pets as gifts. I guess it's the time of year. The latest one is from the Heartland Connection. Here's a snippet from the article: "At the Heartland Humane Society in Ottumwa, Board President Jean Sporer told Fact Finder that the Humane Society discourages the idea of giving pets as gifts at any time of year."

By: Colby

Colby — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:04:09 +0000

I just read through the article Pet Adoptions a lifetime commitment and I was glad to hear that the shelters are enforcing the idea of pet adoption as a lifetime commitment. Here’s a quote from the article:

“According to John Welsh, Riverside County animal control spokesman, the old theory was that many of the spontaneous, gift-under-the-tree adoptions often resulted in animals soon coming back to the shelters. Now shelters promote the idea that the holidays are a perfect time to add a fuzzy family member — with the firm understanding that a pet adoption is a lifelong commitment.”