My Friendly Pets

Since we are in the season of gift giving, one gift that I would strongly discourage until after the holidays is the gift of a puppy or a dog!!! The holiday season is a magical time and because of that, magical and miraculous things are supposed to happen. What would be more magical to a child on Christmas morning than finding a small pup under the tree with a red ribbon tied around its neck? Advertisers play upon these images to have you believe that this dog is no more than a toy that your child and other children will thoroughly enjoy playing with and when done playing, it can be put in the corner until they are ready to play again. WRONG!!! Dogs are living breathing creatures that need constant care and attention.

Here are some good reasons for keeping the gift of a puppy a passing thought. Christmas morning can be extremely frightening and stressful for a little pup. Puppies go through develpmental stages like children and they are usually in the fear/avoidance stage right around the time they would be adopted ( 7-12 weeks). Bringing them into an environment with noise, lights and chaos could be very traumatic for the pup and prevent some very important bonding time.

A good responsible breeder will not send a puppy home around Christmas time. Shelters are reluctant to do so either, because they know there is a good chance that puppy will be returned to the shelter. At this time of year, there is so much activity, schedules are not regular and there are possibly long periods of time when the new pup will be left at home alone. Again, this is cruel to do to the young pup who is looking for comfort and to become a part of the “pack”. Also, good habits such as house training and obedience training require time and patience. These are two commodities that are in short supply around holiday time.

So before you make that huge decision, think about it carefully and don’t just think of your family and your child; think of the puppy and how totally foreign your world will seem to him. Think of his fright, confusion and behavior. This alone should make you think twice about getting a dog as holiday gift.

For some good toy ideas though, try the toy blogging site of a fellow blogger. There are some truly cool things there.