Contents:
* Pets as Gifts - Important Considerations
* Pet Adjustment and Holiday Time
* Links to More Information
* A Special Gift Idea
* Poem
Pets as Gifts?
Movies and TV have given people the idea that
puppies and kittens make heartwarming holiday gifts
for kids, spouses and other significant others. But
the reality is more often heart-wrenching for most
of these living, breathing "gifts", not to mention
the families who end up giving up the pets once they
grow and require more time, attention, training and
expenses than the families can or choose to give.
When you hear of people who plan to give a pet as
a gift, please take the opportunity to educate them.
Animals cannot speak for themselves, but you can be
their voice - and convey the message that pets
aren't disposable; they need love and commitment
their whole life.
Pets should never be an impulse purchase.
Individuals and families thinking of getting a pet
should research, prepare and then, when the time is
right, seek a pet who realistically complements
their lifestyle, schedule and energy level. Many
people do not have the time, energy or money to care
for a dog over the long term. A new owner may enjoy
the animal for a few weeks, but then resent the gift
once the novelty wears off, and the cute puppy
starts growing into an active, needy, larger dog.
Also, discourage parents from giving pups and
kittens to their children as gifts. While children
can help with some age-appropriate responsibilities,
pets require adult caretakers. Remember, even bright
youngsters typically don't have the strength,
attention span, self-discipline and physical
strength to care for a dog...or even a cat. Older
children typically wind up redirecting their
attention to friends, school, social activities and
eventually dating and planning for college. Unlike
with other holiday presents, owners cannot just pop
in a fresh battery or put the pet away in the closet
after the novelty wears off. In nearly all cases,
one of the parents becomes the primary caretaker,
doing the feeding, walks, litter scooping and all of
the other chores the children once promised to do
themselves.
Furthermore, "pets as playthings" is the wrong
message to send to children. Pets are living beings
who require substantial time and daily care, plus
expenses for food, obedience training, vet bills and
occasional petsitters or kennels. Children get bored
with gifts, and it's heartbreaking when families
grow tired of the growing dog. Studies show that too
often the gift puppy is given up within the first
year, starved for training, socialization and
affection. Regardless of what parents tell children
and neighbors, the reality is that too many
wonderful dogs go unadopted at shelters.
Pups between the ages of 7 to 14 months often
wind up at shelters or at the vet for euthanasia,
because the owners did not train them, resulting in
"behavior problems." Even worse, some owners dump
unwanted pets on the road or in the woods, where
they cannot survive on their own, since dogs and
cats are domesticated animals that depend on humans
for care.
According to the Humane Society of the United
States, most puppies and kittens born in the United
States never reach their second birthdays. They die
from being hit by cars, euthanized by owners,
starving or being injured in fights with other
animals, or taken to shelters or pounds, usually
before age two.
As noted by the Pet Action League, the months
following the holidays will be very busy for rescue
organizations. Many of last year's holiday puppies
and kittens are now up for adoption. It is tragic
how many poor animals wind up abandoned.
The Dalmatian Club of America adds: "During this
time of year, many people capitalize on the flow of
emotions and spur of the moment decisions.... This
is when the pet stores are full of popular breeds
straight from their suppliers -- puppy mills. And,
it is not just the pet stores. You need only look in
the classified ads to see the flood of people trying
to turn the family pet into the Christmas Money
Maker."
Keep in mind that reputable breeders don't allow
puppies to go home during the holidays because of
the delicate state of the animals and the difficulty
for new owners to help a new animal acclimate in a
holiday setting full of distractions and stress (not
to mention puppy choking hazards). To a reputable
breeder, safe, responsible environments for their
pups is far more important than money.
Because owning a dog is a huge emotional,
financial, and time commitment, any person taking on
this responsibility must be fully prepared. Puppies
need to be housetrained, watched and confined when
they cannot be watched to prevent typical puppy
chewing and pottying behavior that leads to
destruction, accidents and even injuries. Before
bringing a pet home, the prospective owners need to
have pet care supplies, a crate, a safe and
sufficiently large place to exercise the pet, a
chosen veterinarian ready.
The decision to bring a dog into your family
should be a family decision, not a surprise gift.
Everyone, including the children, should educate
themselves on different breeds of dogs and decide
what breed or mixed breed would fit best into their
lifestyle. An adult in the household will be
responsible for this pet, not the children. The
adult must be willing to accept this responsibility
and be willing to care for this pet for the next 15
or so years, which may well be long after the
children lose interest or leave the nest.
Instead of buying that cute little puppy or
kitten as a gift, give books on pet selection,
training, care, health and diet, and individual
breeds. Videos and subscriptions to pet magazines
and newsletters are also good choices. The AKC
(American Kennel Club) also advises pet owners to
personally discuss the responsibilities of pet care
with prospective owners.
These presents are wonderful ways to introduce
the joys of pet ownership and will help the family
or individual decide on the right dog to bring home.
It's a decision that everyone in the household
should make together - when they decide they are
truly ready for a new lifetime companion and family
member. This will benefit everyone - the gift giver,
the family and the deserving animal.
Gift-givers can also help with buying pet care
supplies, or offer help with the adoption fee after
the holiday season.
Later in this tipsheet, you'll find a listing of
webpages featuring excellent books for adults and
children...free guides to help people plan for and
choose a pet...and more detailed information ideal
for educating folks.
Pet Adjustment and Holiday Time
Why are holidays usually a bad time to introduce
an animal to a new home?
* The new owners will probably be too occupied
with holiday preparations, celebrations, cooking,
cleaning and guests and overall activity to give the
new pet the attention he or she desperately needs.
It is already a jolting adjustment for a puppy to
leave his mother and littermates.
The first few days in a new home and with a new
family are critical to a puppy. His transition into
new home and family will affect his ability to bond
with and trust humans. A stressful introduction can
have negative after-effects and impede safe,
successful integration into the family.
* Busy holiday time is a really hard time to keep
to a proper housetraining, feeding and elimination
schedule...and it is vital to start housetraining on
day one and establish an effective schedule on which
the pup can learn to rely on his human caretakers.
* The activities in the household might present
safety hazards and increased opportunities for the
pup to get in trouble or hurt. Especially when the
household is not used to having a pet around and
underfoot, it can be hard to keep ornaments,
decorations, tinsel, wrapping, string, scissors,
candles, potentially poisonous holiday plants and
other dangerous items out of animals' reach.
* The holiday hubbub of guests, flashing lights,
noisy toys, gift unwrapping, camera snapping,
romping children, etc. can scare an animal of any
age, particularly a puppy. Guests and household
members may even step on pets, which can be
traumatic even if no bones are sprained or broken.
* Elderly guests may trip over the pet and get
hurt.
* It is essential to always supervise when dogs
and children are together. Since this is hard to do
during a big holiday, the chances of a bite
increase. Children not used to having a dog in the
home are more prone to behavior that can frighten a
dog or pup, provoking a defensive bite. That's a bad
start for kids and the pup alike.
* Visitors entering and leaving the house mean
lots of chances for a pet to escape. A new pet can
be more prone to running faster and farther since he
has not yet bonded with the family, and he is
stressed out by his jarring transition to a new,
busy place full of large unfamiliar beings.
* The abundance of holiday food, drink and candy
will enchant pets, who may get sick from ingesting
food or choke on wrappers.
* Giving a pet to a child as a holiday gift is
not good for the child or the animal, cautions Dan
Lapsley, an educational psychologist at Ball State
University. He adds that it is a mistake to use a
pet as a way to teach a child responsibility. Even
adolescents aren't ready to handle such a commitment
of time, money and energy alone, so getting and
caring for a pet should be a family venture. Parents
need to learn proper animal care first. After all,
the best way to teach responsibility is for the
parent to demonstrate responsibility.
* Yet another reason to avoid introducing pets on
a holiday: young children are often used to being
the center of attention, and may be confused,
jealous and act out to redirect adults' attention
away from the new pet and back to themselves.
Lapsley likens the experience to bringing a new
child into the family; the parents need to discuss
the introduction of the new pet before getting a
pet...explain how things are going to change at
home...and emphasize that the whole family must work
together to make the pet a welcome (and
well-adjusted) member of the family.
This is why so many shelters, animal welfare
groups and breeders will not place an animal during
gift-giving holidays. At some shelters, an estimated
50 percent of holiday adoptees eventually end up
back at the shelter.
To improve the chances of a successful adoption,
introduce pets during a relaxed, quiet time when you
can devote full attention to helping the pet adjust.
Links to More Information
Pet-Related Books as Gifts for Adults and
Children
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_Books.php
Pets as Gifts
http://www.pets-unleashed.com/aspca.petsasgifts.htm
http://www.sfbaywestieclub.com/holidaypup.htm
http://www.petrescue.com/library/aftermath.htm
http://www.petrescue.com/library/no-pups.htm
http://www.petrescue.com/library/untrained-dog.htm
http://www.hillsidespca.com/xmaspets.htm
http://lrr.org/reading-room/dogs-as-gifts.html
http://cyberpet.com/cyberdog/articles/lexi/cmgifts.htm
http://www.ext.vt.edu/news/releases/121100/nopet.html
http://www.peta.org/feat/xmaspuppy
http://members.aol.com/regalbeag/pups.htm
http://www.lhj.com/lhj/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/dogchristmas_11062001.xml
http://members.aol.com/pxlbarrel/dachcirc/xmas.htm
http://www.pugs.com/xmaspup.htm
http://www.wagntrain.com/holiday_gifts.htm
http://www.hua.org/weblinks/puppymillwish.html
How Responsible Breeders Differ From Pet
Shops and Backyard Breeders
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_breedersandpetshops.php
Preparing to Get a Pet and Choosing the
Right Pet
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_ChoosingAndGettingAPet.php
http://www.paw-rescue.org/before.html
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_Books.php
Helping Kids Prepare for a New Dog
http://loveyourdog.com/anewdog.html
http://loveyourdog.com/books.html
Helping a New Dog Adjust To Your Home
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_ShelterDogAdjust.html
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_Transition.html
Bringing Your New Dog Home Online
Handbook
http://www.paw-rescue.org/dog_guide.php
Kid's Guide to Dog Care
http://loveyourdog.com
Holiday Stress and Coping with Pets
During Holiday Time
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_HolidayStress.php
Seasonal and Household Safety Tips for
Dog Owners
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_HolidaySafety.php
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_HouseholdSafety.php
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_FoodAndKitchenSafety.php
A Special Gift Idea
Here's gift idea to help share holiday joy with
needy, abandoned animals. Consider donating money
and safe pet toys or other supplies to shelters and
animal welfare groups. You could also donate money
to pay for a neuter or spay for an animal at a
shelter or for a pet owned by someone having
financial difficulties. You might also make a
donation in a name of a favorite animal lover.
Poem to an Abandoned Gift
Author Unknown
'Tis the night before Christmas and all through
the town,
every shelter is full - we are lost but not found.
Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,
we hope every minute that someone will care.
They'll come to adopt us and give us the call,
"Come here, Max and Sparkie - come fetch your new
ball!!
But now we sit here and think of the days
we were treated so fondly - we had cute, baby ways,
Once we were little, then we grew and we grew -
now we're no longer young and we're no longer new.
So out the back door we were thrown like the
trash,
they reacted so quickly - why were they so rash?
We "jump on the children", "don't come when they
call",
we "bark when they leave us", we "climb over the
wall."
We should have been neutered, we should have been
spayed,
now we suffer the consequence of the errors they
made.
If only they trained us, if only we knew...
we'd have done what they asked us and worshipped
them, too.
We were left in the backyard, or worse, left to
roam,
now we're tired and lonely and out of a home.
They dropped us off here and they kissed us
good-bye...
"Maybe someone else will give you a try."
So now here we are, all confused and alone...
in a shelter with others who long for a home.
The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,
with so many to care for, they can't stay to chat.
They move to the next kennel, giving each of us
cheer...
we know that they wonder how long we'll be here.
We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads
of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.
Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears
-
our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear.
..... In parents' haste to think of a gift for
the kids,
there was one important thing that they missed.
A dog should be family, and it's just not humane
To put a living, feeling pet outside on a chain.
If only Santa exclaimed as he rode out of sight,
"You weren't giving a gift! You were giving a life!"
------
For more Dog Tips and other information about pet
care, adoption and the work PAW does, visit our
website at: www.paw-rescue.org
Partnership for Animal Welfare
P.O. Box 1074, Greenbelt, MD 20768 |
