[Bella_Bru]

The author of this is a woman named Ruth Ginzburg. Sorry I forgot that.

[Bella_Bru]

ping

[isthisnickcool]

I have two dogs myself, and I think the world would be a lot better place if more people had meaningful relationships with dogs.

Uh, well, uh. Hmm. I uh, gee. Nope. I won't go there. Nevermind....

[i_dont_chat]

Yesterday, 12/17/01, we lost our beloved Gypsy, a 14 year old Golden Retriever, due to old age and liver failure. Our family lost an quality of tenderness and sweetness when she left.

God being all perfect, if I could make one suggestion, He would assign to each us, at our birth, one dog "for life". Outliving our pets hurts too much!

[upchuck]

AMEN!!
Taking on responsibility for a puppy (and yes, it IS a responsibility, a very big one) is a large undertaking.

Please think twice and read this article again before buying a "Christmas" puppy.

[Silly]

Thanks for posting this. Giving animals for Christmas is such a bad idea, especially dogs, who require long-term, steady care.

I remember the awful stories from pet stores when 101 Dalmations came out -- everyone wanted a dalmation. But few people knew it was a breed unsuited for most families.

[MedicalMess]

Tried to tell this to my wife. She bought a dog for her dad for Christmas because he had just recently lost his. The dog bonded to us the weeks before Christmas so it would not have anything to do with her dad. The dog is now in our care and guess who takes care of him? You get one guess and it's not my wife and my kid is only six years old. Here is another hint: the wife wanted the dog to give away; her dad wanted his dog back and not receive someone else's responsibility.

[Varda]

There's a lot right about this post and I agree wholeheartedly that Christmas is the wrong time to get a puppy. Most breeders I know will delay breeding rather than have puppies that need to go to new homes in December.

But then we get the sneaky animal rights promotion

" According to statistics kept by the Humane Society of the United States, the majority of puppies and kittens born in the United States never reach their second birthdays, even though their natural lifespans should be many times that length. "

I wouldn't trust the HSUS to count it's finger and toes correctly. Cats and dogs don't have similar mortality rates at all. At one shelter where I worked, we sometimes put out requests for puppies from other shelters (up to 50 miles away) to meet constant demand. Most of the young dogs were placed too. It was only the old, sick or behavior problems that got euthanized. (Poor people bring their sick pets to shelters for free euthanasia) Cats on the other hand were wildly over-populated and yes I would bet average life span is pretty low. HSUS puts these two animals together so they can lie about the problem and push their animal rights wacko agenda.

[Ward Smythe]

We gave our son a puppy for Christmas about three years ago. But here's what we did.

Santa left under the tree a bag of puppy chow, a collar, a leash and a note that said, "I've picked out a special puppy for you, and told your mom and dad where to go pick him up."

The next business day, we drove to the shelter. Our son actually picked a different puppy from the litter, but it was the one who came to him first.

Some three years and 70 lbs. later our black lab mix is a part of the family. He still sheds enough to create a new little dog every few weeks, and we have some area rugs without corners (although that's been a while). I don't know what we'd do without him.

But bringing him home on Christmas Eve/Morning would've been a major mistake.

[AppyPappy]

The good side is that you can get a really good dog at the pound a few weeks after Christmas.

[ravingnutter]

Unlike cats, who generally do not need extensive training

She is right on about dogs, but apparently knows nothing about cats. I still have problems with my cat getting on my kitchen counter and sleeping in the baby crib that I keep for my grandkids and I have been "training" her for a year to discourage these behaviors.

[diotima]

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

[SAMWolf]

Bump.

[tubebender]

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

[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.

[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.

[Flyer]

(and - please reconsider if you are thinking of giving a pet as a Christmas gift but that's a chapter in itself)

Thanks for posting this chapter!