Holiday Puppy Gifting: Can It Be Done Responsibly? (PHOTOS)

From Mother Nature Network:

Q: I want to get my family a puppy for Christmas. Where's the best place to look?

A: Resist the urge to surprise your family with a cute and cuddly Christmas pet. To ensure a smooth transition, discuss routine tasks beforehand such as feeding, grooming, getting home to let the dog out, and poop patrol. If you absolutely, positively must have a puppy or kitten under the tree for Christmas, then consider this your holiday pet to-do list.

Captions courtesy of Mother Nature Network.

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Comments

[StarGazr5992]

12:40 PM on 12/30/2011

Animal's are living breathing beings not toy's or things that should be given as gifts, I work for a golden rescue and after January will get hit with the "GIFTS" that oh didn't know they need that much attention or they shed or how big will "IT GET" yea please DON'T GIVE ANIMAL'S OR ANY OTHER LIVING BREATHING BEINGS FOR GIFTS

[clarkkentdlyplnt]

10:33 AM on 12/30/2011

The ONLY way you can responsibly gift a puppy for Christmas is to understand that until that puppy is integrated into the family YOU are the total are giver. Don't give an animal expecting some one else to immediately step up. Always remember, it's a baby not a dog. You are bringing an INFANT into your home and they need the same care and attention your children do/did. If YOU as an individual are ready to take on this responsibility ,you should do just fine.

[outerbanksfor5]

09:10 AM on 12/30/2011

my husband just got me a puppy for christmas i love him ive been wanting a puppy for a long time or a dog... hes a gold ret. now i just have to work on getting him potty trained besides that he is a great dog never cries and loves to play and eat lol

[karen lyons kalmenson]

08:23 AM on 12/22/2011

a companion animal is the gift that keeps giving. they chew, eat, make messes, and grow into adults. they are also the greatest gift to mankind, when he/she is properly prepared for this wonderful committment

they are not moving hallmark moments.

here is the link to my new ebook, celebrating all things canine
http://www.scribd.com/doc/75285555/Dogs-of-my-Heart

♥

[altohone]

07:01 PM on 12/20/2011

The obvious flaw nobody mentions is that choosing which dog to share your life or preferably having them choose you is the best part.

Choosing for your family is rather selfish to begin with.

[nanaofmysky]

06:39 PM on 12/20/2011

I think Christmas is the wrong time to get a pet. To much going on to pay propper attention to it. That is why so many end up at the SPCA.Wait untill everything has calmed down first. Then make it a family affair to get a pet. This way they will be safe and taken care of.

[JeanRR]

08:38 PM on 12/20/2011

I have said the very same thing but it is really not true. People get puppies for the wrong reasons all year long and people who have not business with a puppy get them all year long. Christmas is really no better or no worse. If you are going to be a responsible pet owner, you are going to be that all year long. They key is being ready for a pet, doing your homework on what is necessary and following through on it all. In my life, I have gotten a puppy for Christmas twice. Both were much loved and lived long and happy lives.

[DFDK9]

04:58 PM on 12/20/2011

Quote - "If all [visitors] have free access to your house, it's not a good idea to get a rottweiler or German shepherd or Bouvier des Flandres or other guarding breed -- they will be confused and find it hard to cope"

This is the singles dumbest thing I have read today - and I say that with all due respect to this dog behavior consultant and as someone who has trained and raised German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois - two breeds commonly used by police and military - who both did protection sports (such as Schutzhund) AND worked as Therapy Dogs. A dog of proper temperament should have no trouble adjusting to visitors coming and going during the holidays.

[JeanRR]

08:39 PM on 12/20/2011

As you well know, many certified animal behavior consultants don't know squat about dogs, their training or their behavior.

[InYourWorld]

11:34 PM on 12/28/2011

My Rotti loves visitors.

[yeti7]

04:34 PM on 12/20/2011

Worst thing you can do is give someone a living creature unexpected.
You will never be forgiven if they didn't really want it, best to ask first.

[BigDogues]

12:26 PM on 12/20/2011

Thanks. This article reminds me that I still have time to make generous contribution to my local shelter before years end.

[LivelyLexie]

07:56 AM on 12/20/2011

Don't give a person an animal unless they ask specifically for it for that occasion. I know it isn't a holiday gift, but when my parents got married, someone got them a dog, which was a terrible gift. "Gee, thanks for the pet we didn't ask for. Now what do we do with it while we go away on our honeymoon?"

[yeti7]

04:35 PM on 12/20/2011

I'd refuse it. What a bad idea for a wedding present.

[LivelyLexie]

08:59 AM on 12/21/2011

They ended up explaining that they couldn't have it where they lived (which was true) so my aunt ended up keeping it. lol it was ridiculous

[Y2KCockroach]

03:13 AM on 12/20/2011

I don't know why anyone would even want to give a living animal as a gift at Christmas time. Honestly, how many people have the free time to properly deal with, and adjust to a baby animal during the holiday season?

Wait until the holidays are over, get back into a normal family routine and then have a group discussion about the needs and responsibilities of owning a pet...

For years we have sent Christmas donations to local animal shelters, and we have had the shelter staff in turn send Christmas cards to people whose names we made the donations in. It sure feels better than buying "stuff", and we like to think that it is the best thing that we could do for the little critters at Christmas.

Go ahead and try it. It feels really good!

And have a very good Christmas, all of you!

[JeanRR]

08:42 PM on 12/20/2011

Forty years ago, I got a Great Dane puppy as a Christmas gift. She was a joy and the top obedience Great Dane for a time. Twenty years ago, I received an AmStaff puppy as a Christmas gift. She was a wonderful dog, a champion and nanny to my son. I don't think either gift was a mistake.

[averagezoe]

11:30 PM on 12/19/2011

This article didn't exactly discourage the gift idea, it even suggested buying from a breeder. I wish that people would understand just how horrific things are in this country and realize that 4 million pets being killed each year just because there are no homes is just too much. But as they do each and every year, people will go and buy puppies for Christmas and then do one of three things a few months later.

1. Be responsible and care for the puppy properly - the minority.
2. Dump the puppy at a shelter or rescue - the majority.
3. Throw the puppy out with the trash - not many, but some.

By the end of January, my rescue group will be inundated with e-mails asking us to take unwanted puppies and we will find them on the street and at local pet dumping grounds.
It's the same thing each and every year and people never learn.

[LivelyLexie]

07:57 AM on 12/20/2011

That is just unbelievable. I can't understand why people don't take adopting an animal seriously. Adoption is for life.

[Ryana Linette Rogers]

01:37 PM on 12/20/2011

I know agree it gets old seeing people taking on a pet and yet they get tired of it or they cant afford it then the pet gets abondoned !

[yeti7]

04:37 PM on 12/20/2011

We gave a young dog away yesterday to some people. This morning he is back. They didn't even tie or pen him up yesterday. They aren't getting him back either. He had to cross 2 major highways to get back here too.

[undrgrndgirl]

12:01 PM on 12/20/2011

while i appreciate your rescue group and what rescue groups do (i have even fostered for a local group) i still went to a breeder to get my dog. why? rescue groups are INSANE when it comes to placing dogs, even with experienced owners (a home check, really?), cost as much or MORE than i paid for my purebred, and most of the dogs i looked into had severe behavior problems...i looked for over a year and applied for several dogs but was rebuffed and talked down to every time... yep, the breeder was way easier to deal with and i got a dog without behavioral issues...

[averagezoe]

12:42 PM on 12/20/2011

You are a prime example of why animals suffer the way they do. Your attitude is utterly despicable. As the founder of a rescue group, I specialize in taking animals off the street, mainly by trapping the terrified and starved cats and dogs. After getting them spayed or neutered, vaccinated, tested and treated by my vet, I take them home and introduce them to the comforts of a warm bed and a soft couch while allowing them to gain weight and get healthy. When they are in good shape. 100% housebroken, get along well with all the other dogs and cats, have lost their fear of people, show no aggression whatsoever and the vet gives the all clear, I post them on Petfinder and people have to fill out an application. I do a vet check and a home visit and although I pay around $200 - 500 out of my own pocket depending on each animal's health issues, my adoption fee is $150. If an applicant indicates that the dog will be kept outside or in a cage, it's an immediate denial. You honestly think that I put my money and my time into saving and rehabilitating these dogs who have suffered most of their lives so they can go to a home where they are not going to be a part of the family? Just by reading your comment, I can unequivocally say that I would NOT adopt to you.

[JeanRR]

08:44 PM on 12/20/2011

You are so right. A responsible breeder is the best place to get a puppy. It's is a shame that so many rescue groups are so difficult and a shame that they attack the responsible breeders who are their greatest supporters.

[bcmom]

11:03 PM on 12/19/2011

Christmas is not the time to get a puppy. Do you know how many animals are surrendered in December because people "are too busy"? Too too many. These animals die because people can't bother.

[betrue2]

10:44 PM on 12/19/2011

There are millions of homeless pets in shelters, waiting for a home and a family. Why would anyone ever buy from a breeder?

[undrgrndgirl]

12:04 PM on 12/20/2011

well, because rescue and shelter groups are often times pet-nazis...they think they are the only ones who have ever and will ever know how to keep pets. too many windows busy road and they won't approve your application - even the idea of a home visit to get a PET turns my stomach. the animals often times have severe behavioral problems AND many rescue/shelter adoptions cost MORE than purebred animals...hows that for a few reasons "why"?

[betrue2]

02:35 PM on 12/20/2011

that's funny. puppy mills and breeders are the root of the problem. they produce genetically inferior, inbred pets that often have horrible health, cognitive and behavior problems. Many are treated so inhumanely and are sold for ridiculous sums, only to do it again. Breeders' only incentive is to chase profits. if they care for the animals at all, it is because they turn a buck.

I can't tell you how many people I've talked to who have gotten their pets from breeders only to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on health care for problems that come from mass breeding.

Shelters have the best dogs possible, and they're usually available for a nominal fee. I got my dog at a shelter and he has more friends and admirers than most humans because he's that special. He cost $25. And that was for his shots, health and behavior screening.

The shelter wasn't hard to deal with at all, they were amazing, and educated me considerably in just a few minutes. They just asked basic questions to help me understand what we would need to make sure my puppy had a good home. That's it, we were on our way in about an hour and a half and have had a lifetime of happiness.

[bluegnu63]

10:41 PM on 12/19/2011

Animal rescue groups and www.PetFinder.com should be your resources, but not until springtime. The weather will be better for you and your new friend to be trained.;)