Unfortunately, puppies are a retail item, which lends them to having a perilous future. What ends up happening is, on a whim, a small, soft, cute and fluffy puppy is purchased and 6 months later that puppy is sixty pounds, shedding hair, jumping on the kids, chewing the furniture and urinating on the carpet, leading it to be dumped in the yard and neglected or dropped off at the animal shelter. No doubt about it, shelter's populations increase tremendously shortly after Christmas, which unfortunately lead to an increase in euthanasia rates.
If you are planning on purchasing a puppy this Christmas, I have a few suggestions:
1. Make sure you have done the research. If there is not enough time to figure it out or find the breed you have decided upon, maybe Santa can leave a note stating he is still working on finding that perfect puppy or that the puppy is not quite old enough to leave the mommy and Christmas will come in January or February.
2. Visit your shelter. I can't stress this enough. Shelters are overrun and you will be pleasantly surprised at how wonderful of a companion a shelter pet can be, just ask any of our "A-Mutt-A-Month" animals! This may sound harsh, but it's the truth; I can guarantee you if you visit the shelter, make a choice and find that particular animal is not a good fit for your family, the shelter will let you try another. They probably won't give you a "refund," but they will certainly give you a "merchandise credit," or an "exchange."
3. Consider a cat. I know, I know, you think cats are creepy and strange; they are nocturnal and dirty...whatever! Cats are such low maintenance pets and are much less destructive than dogs. I have two cats, one is an indoor/outdoor and the other is an outdoor only. My 15 month old daughter loves them. They don't knock her down and trample over her like my lab does. They don't growl at her as she walks by like my Jack Russell does. They love to rub around around her legs in a figure eight pattern as she squeals and smiles and says "key key." If you have never considered a cat, you really should take a second thought about them, but I'm warning you, they can be addictive!!
I love animals and I think everyone should have as many as they can afford to take care of. The truth is, from a monetary perspective, I should be selling puppies, or better yet giving them away, as Christmas presents. Taking care of animals is how I make a living. But when it comes right down to it, nothing makes me angrier than a spontaneous decision to adopt a pet, later realizing it's more work than previously thought, and then neglecting it. Animals are living, breathing creatures with feelings. Please don't treat them as a disposable retail item for Christmas this year.