Consider This Before Giving a Pet as a Gift
February 2nd, 2008 Posted in Reptile PetsPicture this: It鈥檚 Christmas morning and the kids have opened all their presents鈥xcept one. It鈥檚 the largest box under the tree with a big red bow tied around it. At just the right moment, a little head knocks the top of the box off and the kids see a pair of sparkling eyes emerge. 鈥淎 puppy!鈥? they exclaim at the same time. The kids pick up their puppy and spend the morning playing until they are all tired and take a nap together. A more realistic scene? The puppy chews his way out of the box, pees on all the presents under the tree and scratches at the wall and door to get outside. When the kids go to pick him up, he scratches their arms and bites their faces trying to lick them (a puppy鈥檚 nails and teeth are razor sharp after all). The kids end up crying and the dog is locked in another room 鈥淯ntil he learns how to behave.鈥?/P> Giving a pet as a gift - especially during Christmas and the other winter holidays - seems like a great idea, but in reality, it鈥檚 not. Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah are too hectic of a time to introduce an animal to his or her new home. There is usually too much activity for an animal to feel comfortable. With all your obligations for work and family, the kids鈥?Christmas pageants and church recitals, relatives coming and going, who has time to remember to feed a new pet, never mind house train a puppy or litter box train a kitten? Giving a pet as a gift is not just about the moment everyone discovers the rambunctious puppy or purring kitten. It鈥檚 a commitment that can last 10 to 20 years. Before obtaining a pet, there need to be clear expectations of who is going to take care of feeding, walking, picking up the yard, changing the litter box, etc. Keep in mind these tasks will inevitably fall on the adults, no matter how much a child promises, 鈥淚鈥檒l take care of everything!鈥?nbsp; Even if the pet is a gift for a particular child, it still belongs to the family, so everyone will need to be in agreement that 1) they want the dog or cat and 2) they will pitch in to take care of the pet. And keep in mind this isn鈥檛 a gift that can be put in a toy box or closet when the recipient isn鈥檛 around to take care of it, or thrown away when it鈥檚 no longer 鈥渇un.鈥? 鈥淚f you want to give the gift of love in the form of a companion animal this holiday season, make it a joint project,鈥?says Jenny D鈥橝more, Founder/Director of Paw Placement, a rescue group in Phoenix. She suggests wrapping up bowls, food, a collar and leash, litter box, and some toys and give those to the recipient. Then, after the holidays are over, go as a family to pick your new family member. If you absolutely must give a pet as a gift, it should never be a surprise unless you are the adult who will be caring for it. 鈥淲hile gift giving of an animal is done with the best of intentions, oftentimes the receiver is not as thrilled,鈥?says Jenny. If the pet is for a child or family other than your own, talk to the family to make sure it is OK with them and they understand how to care for a pet. Jenny sums it up, 鈥淐hoosing an animal is a very personal experience. The human doesnt pick the animal, the animal picks the human.鈥?/P>
Tags: absol, adults, ash, holidays, kitten, lear, loc, love, nails, Pet, pup, puppy, relatives, toysRelated posts
Tags: absol, adults, ash, holidays, kitten, lear, loc, love, nails, Pet, pup, puppy, relatives, toys
