NO CHRISTMAS PUPPIES, PLEASE

Pet Rescue ^

[MedicalMess]

I love him like a son and he is soooo cool. He is a lab/chow mix with total black tongue and he'd tear your tonsils out to protect me. But it was still a bad idea for a gift. I'm just too much of a push-over. However if she brings home a cat...well, the next exit down the interstate has a bridge high over the French Broad River. Need I say more?

[diotima]

You rock for posting this! I also add its not such a good idea to give someone a cat, either.

[SAMWolf]

Bump.

[diotima]

I donate money and goods to a no-kill cat shelter and my mother rescues German Shepherds from the animal shelter (she is a breeder). It is very unfortunate when people think it is simply a cute little "gift" to give a pet, however, animals are complicated, time-consuming responsibilities. They have behaviors, personalities and needs that must be regarded. There is nothing more disturbing than seeing a shelter filled with people's "gifts."

[Bella_Bru]

It used to rip my heart out to see the looks on the dogs faces that were left at the shelter that I volunteered at. They looked so sad. While I was happy that the owners surrendered the little guys instead of dumping them on the street, I still wanted to slap them silly.

[xsmommy]

i can attest to the stressfulness of a new puppy. we have had ours 2 months now, a jack russell terrier pup, who is a handful. i knew it was going to be work, and was committed to it, and have 3 kids who are of varying degees of help. it is not something to be undertaken lightly. we thought long and hard and my husband the dog-hater will tell you we ended up doing the WRONG thing by getting him, but i think we will survive. and we love our xspup.

[tubebender]

This is a nice thought however what do you propose we do with these puppies that now won't have homes ?

[anniegetyourgun]

I gave my hubby a kitten for Christmas two years ago in a similar way. Kitten was hand-picked after much research for a specific breed. Kitten was not ready to leave his cat mom at Christmas so hubby got a cat carrier with a picture of the kitten inside. He was thrilled because this was something the entire family was ready for. That's the critical factor!

[Bella_Bru]

Like the srticle states, responsible GOOD breeders will not sell for Christmas, but instead tell people to come get the pup a few weeks later.

[Momto2]

Hi Bella_Bru!! You wrote "For people who have never had pets (and especially never had a dog), think of it like this. Would you PLAN on having a baby 2 days before Christmas? Well, if you get a pup for the holidays, it'll be the same."

Yes - I had my son on Dec. 18th (today he is 12)... and then 7 years later we got our first English Springer Spaniel on Christmas morning - She is a delight and a "family member" but I don't recommend this. It was not a spur of the moment decision - the puppies were from a responsible breeder but she decided not to keep our Freckles..... so we were blessed... It was a long night Chirstmas eve - keeping her quiet..... :)

Thanks for your post on this important topic.

[Bella_Bru]

:-) I'm happy you have had 2 Christmas blessings!

[Phantom Lord]

I have 2 boxers. Got the first one at the flea market when he was a tiny little puppy. My wife and I would always play with the puppies at the flea market, but this one we just had to go home with.

Well, the 2nd one was another story. Had our boxer at the vet and I was looking at the message board with all its posters of cats and dogs for sale and adoption. Made a comment to my wife that it was too bad there were no boxers available. Well, about 2 hours later I got a call at work from the vet. He said to me "i heard you talking about boxers while looking at the message board. Were you serious about getting another one?" I say yes. He informed me that they just got one in for some medical attention (broken leg) from Boxer Rescue and asked if I was interested. Of course I was. Told him that we would come in tonight to take a look at her and see if we liked her. Well, she had some big problems from being hit by a car. Had a severly broken leg that was never set properly and would most likely be deformed but not cause her any troubles. Still had a cast on when we got her. And let me tell you, the xrays were not pretty. I wanted to leave the cast on forever so i wouldnt have to see what the leg looked like when it came off. She had some major cuts on her from being hit. We decided that at a minimum we would house her for a few weeks until Boxer Resuce could find her a home. Well, a year and a half later we still have her. And surprisingly, when the cast came off her leg looked fine. I was scared to look at it when my wife brought her home from the vet to have it taken off.

I love her a great deal and would never get rid of her. My wife on the other hand calls her "devil dog" and "evil." The dog is not the best behaved dog. Can not be left alone for more than a minute or she will destroy and break everything in site. Has no problem chewing on anything she can get into her mouth and will eat any food product left on a table or the counters. She must be kept in a crate all day while we are at work. She is a big problem dog.

I think her problems come from the fact that she was neglected at best and abused at worst. Doesnt appear to have ever had any kind of training or discipline and just doesnt learn from her mistakes. She is constantly trying to escape from the house and if she gets out she does NOT come back. Neighbors have to hunt her down for me and capture her. I still love her and would never get rid of her, and I dont think my wife would either, but she wont admit it.

I do not think that I will ever again get a dog that is not a puppy. Of course, being a boxer she has far more energy than she will ever burn off. And this problem is compounded by not being able to let her out to run around and burn it off. A fence is coming in the near future to solve this problem. She does love everyone she meets though and lavishes attention on them.

The other boxer is a perfefct angel. Other than the fact that he hates everyone he meets and takes a long time to accept a stanger in the house when company comes over. Though that is a good thing for when we are not home. No one will try to break into my house when they peer into the window and see an 80 pound pissed off boxer barking at them with drool flying all over the place.

[Sloth]

A GOOD BREEDER WILL NOT SEND A PUPPY HOME ON CHRISTMAS MORNING.

A good vendor will provide their product or service as the customer desires, and otherwise mind his or her own business.

[CJ Wolf]

Blah Blah Blah Blah. It's a dog. Train it well and it will get over it's Christmas shock in a short time and be your best friend for life... Lamenting about the deluge in post-xmas unwanted puppies is silly, these same un-puppy people will return the dog no matter what time of the year they buy one. It's just more noticable when people buy them in mass. Same stuff happens at the department stores.

Get yer Puppies for Christmas!!!! Its the best time of the year and will make a gift that the whole family will love and cherish for all time.

[diotima]

I guess it is better that people bring their animals into the shelter rather than just let dump them. When I adopted my cats from the shelter, I just cried my eyes out looking at those poor animals some one decided they didn't want anymore. If I had the time I would stand outside the shelter with a baseball bat and just beat those people senseless.

[FRMAG]

Two years ago on Christmas Day I was forced to put down a faithful Cocker Spaniel who had been a part of my life for 14 years. I happened to mention it here on FR and someone posted a beautiful poem titled "The Rainbow Bridge" it gave me great comfort at the time but I failed to keep a copy.

Perhaps some freeper dog lover has a copy and will repost.

[Phantom Lord]

I keep telling my wife that Im gonna get another boxer and she says "fine, as long as you get rid of Maggie (the problem dog) first." I tell her there is no way I would get rid of Maggie. She has already been abandoned once. Imagine the stress and emotional trauma it would cause her to be abandoned again. I would never do that to her.

We like to go to Carolina Hurricanes games (NHL). A couple of times a year they have animal shelters and rescue organizations at the games and they line all the concourses with available dogs and cats. My wife refuses to go to these games because she knows there is a damn good chance that I will leave the game with a new dog.

I would live out in the country with some acerage and have 10 dogs if i could. Love em. More than people!

[Eaker]

It is really just a simple matter of knowing your recipient. I would not give a football to my grandmother or a Bowie knife to a three-year-old.

The right person needs the right gift and sometimes a pet is just the ticket.

Eaker

PS: Warning: This guideline requires some conscience thought and logic so it is not recommended for liberals.

[tubebender]

Like the srticle states, responsible GOOD breeders will not sell for Christmas,

Why does this strick me as elitism. Of all the puppies available at this moment what percentage is from GOOD breeders?

[Flyer]

You can find it here.