Are you thinking of getting or giving a pet as a Christmas gift this year?
A sweet little puppy, a cute kitten or a fluffy rabbit can melt our heart in an instant, and it’s hard to resist that little bundle of fun!
But – have you thought it through? Our emotions tend to get the better of us where baby animals are concerned.
Put your emotions to one side and think logically, because in some cases, this may not be the best time to bring a new pet into your home.
So keeping in mind that the welfare of the animal is the most important thing, here are five reasons NOT to buy a pet at this time of the year.
1. A New Pet Will Feel Insecure in a Noisy/Busy Environment
Christmas is a very busy time for most families whether they have children or not. Everyone is busy and the house is noisy with all the excitement. You know what kids are like – their ear-piercing squeals of delight as they unwrap presents, running around with new toys, (and accidentally running into the new pet with a new bike because it got in the way), well-wishers ringing the door bell, visitors coming and going – well – you get the picture! A new pet needs to be in a calm environment until he gets used to his new home and his new family, otherwise he is going to feel very insecure, confused and even frightened. A puppy or kitten will be terrified by the excessive noise of the household.
2. Constant Visitors Confuse Your New Pet
Your new pet will be confused when visitors come and go, as he will be unsure about who lives in the house and just who his “pack” is, who he belongs to. A puppy or kitten needs to be secure in his environment before introducing him to guests. Because of his insecurity, this could lead to him urinating in the house – then we are not happy. More mess to clean up – as if there isn’t enough already!
3. What Do You Do With Your New Pet If You Go Away?
Christmas is a time for visiting family and friends, and this poses a problem about what to do with your new pet. Leaving him in an unfamiliar house on his own (even just for a few hours), seems unkind, and possibly dangerous for the pet, as he hasn’t had time to get to know his surroundings yet.
If you are going away for a few days you could put him in a boarding kennel – but that doesn’t make any sense, because you just got him . . . can you imagine how confused and sad he would be?
4. Training your New Pet Delayed Because You Are Too Busy
Training a new puppy or kitten needs to begin from the first day he goes home with you. However, because you are so busy at this time of the year, the training is going to have to take a back seat. Leaving his training till things are calmer in the household is not good for him – he needs guidelines right from the start, and the longer you leave it, the harder it will be for both you and your pet.
5. Am I Prepared to Care For My Pet Long Term?
Puppies and kittens are cute and cuddly – but they grow up. Will he still be loved and given the proper care then? The last thing anyone wants is for a pet to be sent to an animal shelter – all because we haven’t thought it through. Having a pet can bring us great joy, but it is a 10-15 year commitment for the life of the pet, and we need to go into it with our eyes open. Sadly, there are too many unwanted pets surrendered to animal shelters after Christmas; please don’t be a statistic.
So, there is a lot to consider about giving a pet as a Christmas gift.
We need to think about the animal’s welfare and what is best for him – not about our own emotional needs.
SUGGESTION
A better time to think about getting a new pet would be after all the excitement of Christmas has died down, and family life is back to normal. You will have more time to spend with your pet and concentrate on training him; this in turn, will enable your pet to start bonding with you, which is crucial, and you will have a happy and obedient pet!
Animals are living creatures with feelings just like you and me.
Buying one at Christmas time needs to be thought through with great care, so please think before your make your final decision.
It is a serious and long term commitment for which you and your whole family need to be ready and prepared for.
P.S.
One of my blogging buddies, Sandra, over at Fantasyfic has come up with a brilliant suggestion, and she has given me permission to share it here with you.
This is what Sandra suggested . . .
“Here is another suggestion for those parents who really want to brighten their child’s life with a pet on Christmas.
Depending on the child’s age, they could get them a book on how to be a responsible pet parent, along with a card offering a pet of the child’s choice (i.e. picking the pet out) two weeks after Christmas (or whenever it is good for the parents).
That’ll kill two birds with one stone…teach the child about good pet parenting and avoid the dangers that you mention in your post.
It might also recommend an animal shelter rescue pet, so that the family gets to be good Samaritans to boot”.
I wish I’d thought of that!
However, it just goes to show the value of having such great blogging buddies who help each other out.
Thank you so much Sandra for that excellent suggestion!
A really timely blog, pets are sometimes really bothered about Christmas, with the lights, excitement etc that picking up a baby animal after Christmas is the most responsible thing to do. After all, would we subject our own babies to a new environment and not be able to give them our undivided attention due to everything else that is going on, I think not.
Yes, people really need to stop and think before they act, instead of acting on their emotions at this time of the year.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a great comment Gerty.
Reblogged this on Passionate About Pets and commented:
This is another one of my posts from last year which I feel compelled to re-blog as Christmas is almost upon us. Think very carefully about buying a pet at this time of the year.
I hope my newer readers find this post useful; those who have been following me for a while will have seen it before, but it’s always good refresh our memory!
Brilliant Barb! Thank you for reminding those people who want to give pets for Christmas what the reality of it is.
Yeah, people really do need to sit down and think of the long term consequences; it’s so easy to get emotional where animals and kids are concerned.
I totally agree with what you say here – brilliant advice. My sons were given a puppy for Christmas when they were toddlers by their auntie – guess who ended up seeing to it, it was hard enough looking after two little boys!! Never again.
A well meaning thought at the time from your sons’ auntie, but sadly, she didn’t think of the consequences; it must happen all the time, and that’s the kind of thing I was trying to get over to my readers. We have to think of the long term – for the sake of the animal.
Thanks for that comment Marcia.
Tangy keeps us pretty busy.. No new pets for us. TY!
You have your hands full without any new ones – me too!
Very wise words! A pet is a big responsibility. People need to think it through very carefully.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment.
You’re right – if more people thought it through, there would be a lot less unwanted pets in shelters after the holidays.
Purrfect Barb! Excellent advice. Pets are not toys. Our pets need lots of love and nurturing. Wonderful post.
Thanks Donna!
What a timely post. The festive season tends to bring out the impulse consumer in most of us. It is, therefore, especially important to be reminded that animals should not be brought home on a whim. Pets are forever—no refunds, no exchanges, and absolutely no re-gifting!
“Pets are forever” – I completely agree with you on that score!
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment.
Very sensible post.
(Love your new chapeau, Barb)
Excellent suggestion at the bottom of your post. I hope everyone who is thinking of giving pets for Christmas give it some deep thought and know without any doubt the pet will be loved have a forever home and well taken care of before going forward. Hugs and nose kisses
Thanks Mumsy! A pet deserves a forever home, nothing less. We should give more thought to their welfare, not our own (often selfish) emotions.
It’s very kind of you to make this post. The animals thank you. Your suggestion is a good one. Here is another suggestion for those parents who really want to brighten their child’s life with a pet on Christmas. Depending on the child’s age, they could get them a book on how to be a responsible pet parent, along with a card offering a pet of the child’s choice (i.e. picking the pet out) two weeks after Christmas (or whenever it is good for the parents). That’ll kill two birds with one stone…teach the child about good pet parenting and avoid the dangers that you mention in your post. It might also recommend an animal shelter rescue pet, so that the family gets to be good Samaritans to boot.
I tweeted this also.
Thanks for tweeting my post Sandra – much appreciated!
Sandra, that’s a brilliant idea, absolutely perfect, I love it!
Wish I’d thought of it so I could have incorporated it in my post.
Can you edit your own post and add it? Or reply to your own post?
Sandra, following your advice, I edited my post and added your suggestion; check it out!
Thanks again!
Wonderful post, Barb. The holidays are NOT a good time to adopt a new pet.
Thanks Nancy! If only people would stop and think it through.
Great to talk about this – us pups can be a lot of work!! It’s important to get the right pet for your particular family, cos we all want to be happy!
My Mum used to live in the UK where they had a campaign, that said ‘A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas’ – very true……
Have a fun weekend,
Your pal Snoopy
I remember that campaign from when I lived in the UK, “A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas” – it was an excellent campaign – made people think.
excellent post. I tweeted it. Animal shelters fill up in Feb when people ‘get rid’ of those pets that seemed like such a great idea for Christmas. This is not like a sweater that you can return for a refund. Animals are living creatures and deserve to be treated with compassion, love and RESPECT!
Thanks for tweeting my post Joss.
If only people would just give more thought to the idea of giving or getting a pet at this time of the year – but their own emotions override the welfare of the animal, especially if there are kids involved.
Sadly, Animal Shelters fill up with unwanted Christmas pets every single year as you so rightly say. We are not learning.
Excellent advice, Barb, but will they listen? Some people treat getting a new pet like buying a new toy! I just came here to tell you how nice you look in your new hat – lovely!
Hopefully, some will listen and give it more thought Denise.
You like my new hat then – brightens me up a little!
Mummy Christmas eh Barb?
I am not at all surprised that you got so many responses ..this is one subject that we should a;ll read and take notice of.
The stupidest thing to do is to give animals as presents to children..what crazy parent would do that..but they do.
Or to have an animal when living in a flat, especially a dog..cats are not so bad but even they like to go outside sometimes…
i could really shake those who sell animals at this time of the year. They can be reserved and left until after the holiday has finished.
Another problem is that the sweet little puppy that you first had is going to grow into an adult dog, they do not stay the same size or always have the same cuteness, especially when they have chewed your carpet, threaded the cushions and wee’ed all over the place whilst training.
STOP…THINK…WAIT
You can see how irate I get over this subject so I had best stop now
I love your rants Patrecia – thank you!
It seems we all have strong views on this subject.
Thank you Barb, so much, for your no-pets-at-Christmas post! You got all the important “why nots” and “what ifs” in and didn’t sound one iota preachy, just straight to the point and oh-so-accurate. That said, when I was 10, my dad gave me a Daschund pup for Christmas, and it was one of the best-ever holidays. I think he was trying to make up for the Christmas prior when I had chicken pox, and the family all stayed away from our house. By the by,you are too cute in your Christmas hat!
I was worried about sounding too preachy, so thanks Janet, I needed to hear that! Your Daschund up was one of the lucky ones, coming to you as a 10 year old – you must have had that animal talent way back then!
Glad you like my hat – just a bit of fun!
What a great post! Hopefully this will make people stop and think, in case they’ve come up with the idea of giving an animal for Christmas.
Another thing that I’ve thought about sometimes, is that younger people sometimes give their old grandma or grandpa a kitten, thinking it would be great company. Most of the time it would, but what they might not think about is that their grand parent might not be up for/have the strength to taking care of a little ten-weeks-old kitten, that is a package of energy.
Well it seems to be having an effect because already Island Traveler was going to get a pet – now he says it makes sense to wait till after the holidays!
I know what you mean about giving a grandparent a kitten; if they are well enough to take care of it. But an older cat might be the answer!
yeah, an old, cool cat
That’s wonderful that it’s having effect!
Very good advice, along with don’t give someone else a pet as a Christmas gift. Too many of those end up in shelters. We are so glad that our pup won’t be ready to come home until well after Christmas. By then I will have the tree down and the house puppy proofed.
Thanks Linda and I’m so glad your pup wont be ready to come home until well after Christmas, when everything will be back to normal. Then you can concentrate on your pup.
Great post. Make sense. I couldn’t agree more
Thanks aRVee!
Excellent advice, Barb.
You make some excellent points Barb…pets are just as big a commitment as kids…more so…they can’t feed themselves.
Dead right there granny, they are a huge commitment.
Okay, after reading this, it made more sense to get a pet after the Holidays. Thanks for the precious tips. I’m thinking of getting a puppy, don’t know what kind yet. Merry Christmas my friend.
I’m so glad to have been of some help – getting a pet is a huge decision! It makes sense to wait till after the holidays when the house is back to normal.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
absolutely agree… it is so easy to go to a pet store and say how “little so and so” would love a little puppy or kitten… and “little so and so” loves it for a minute and it is forgotten, and becomes a burden… Pets should absolutely be left up to the individual… not only for the pets point of view, but because the owner of such chooses what he/she wants… This would be like throwing a child at a mother who is not ready… Thanks for this post Barb.. it is soooo important…
I see you have a strong point of view about this also. Thanks for coming by Kaye, and leaving a comment.
Hi,
What a fantastic post, and so very true. I love your suggestion to leave it all till after the Christmas break.
I remember when we picked up our baby (red cattle dog) only 6 weeks old at the time, and she was shaking in my arms in the car, by the time we got home which was a long drive, I was nearly in tears. But she is now 3 and half and of course part of the family.
They do get very frightened, they don’t understand what is going on, a lot better if they arrive without all the activity of Christmas.
Thanks Mags. I feel a bit like a party pooper posting it when everyone is in the holiday spirit, but I felt I had to. The animal’s welfare should be our prime concern when thinking of buying one, not our emotional needs..
Thanks for coming over – I’d love to see some pics of your red cattle dog.
Sound advice Barb. Getting a pet is a big decision. Many things to consider. Margie
We get too emotional where animals are concerned – and especially if we have young children; hard to resist sometimes.
Thanks for popping by Margie!