'Tis the season
If you are thinking about giving a dog as a gift this holiday season, please consider that you are not only giving a person a dog, you are also giving a dog a person. Imagine a puppy with a bow around its neck on Christmas morning. Now Imagine this: It's President's Day--where is the puppy? Where is the person who got the puppy as a gift? How about on the fourth of July? Where is the dog next Christmas?
I have no doubt that many beautiful human-canine relationships began with the dog wearing a ribbon around its neck. But the fate of many dogs who were wearing a bow when they entered the family is that of Ernie, "a fluffy, 10-week-old golden retriever with heart-melting eyes, [who] was originally a birthday present:"
As he went through the normal stages of retriever development--teething, mouthing, racing frantically around the house, peeing when excited, offering items the family didn't want retrieved, eating strange objects and then vomiting them up--the casualties mounted. Rugs got stained, shoes chewed, mail devoured, table legs gnawed. The family rejected the use of a crate or kennel--a valuable calming tool for young and energetic dogs--as cruel. Instead, they let the puppy get into all sorts of trouble, then scolded and resented him for it. He was "hyper," they complained, "wild," "rambunctious." The notion of him as annoying and difficult became fixed in their minds; perhaps in his as well.
A practiced trainer would have seen, instead, a golden retriever that was confused, under-exercised, and untrained--an ironic fate for a dog bred for centuries to be calm and responsive to humans.
Ernie did not attach to anybody in particular--an essential element in training a dog. Because he never quite understood the rules, he became increasingly anxious. He was reprimanded constantly for jumping on residents and visitors, for pulling and jerking on the leash when walked. Increasingly, he was isolated when company came or the family was gathered. . . . His walks grew brief: outside, down the block until he did his business, then home. He never got to run much.
Complaining that he was out of control, the family tried fencing the back yard and putting Ernie outside during meals to keep him from bothering them. The nanny stuck him there most of the day as well, because he messed up the house. Allowed inside at night, he was largely confined to the kitchen, sealed off by child gates.1
1 Jon Katz, ''Poor Little Rich Dog,'' I've linked to Ernie's story before: "Not by bread (or kibble) alone."
It's President's Day--Massachusetts school children are on vacation. Can the recipient of your holiday gift spend President's day with a puppy? Can they afford to hire a dog sitter or board the puppy? Does the puppy have his shots? Most kennels require that dogs be vaccinated for rabies, distemper and bordetella (kennel cough).
It's the Fourth of July. Is the dog at the family picnic? Has the recipient of your holiday gift trained the dog not to steal the burgers?
It's Christmastime next year. Does the grandmother of the recipient of your gift come to the family's holiday dinner? Or is she in the hospital from a broken hip from when the dog tackled her on Thanksgiving?
Many breeders and shelters will not place an animal with a client who indicates that s/he is interested in the animal as a gift. Breeders and shelters alike want to know that the person who will be responsible for the animal is ready for the responsability.
- Can the person afford the cost of the animal's food, training, grooming, boarding, veterinary health care, etc.?
- Does the person have time for a dog?
- Can the person provide adequate stimulation and exercise for the animal?
- Is the person prepared for the realities an animal shedding/soiling/cheweing in her or his home?
- Can the person commit to these and other responsabilities for the natural life of the animal?
- Does the person know the average life-expectancy/health risks/energy level/etc. of the breed?
Reasons that people who love the animals in their care give for not selling or adopting their animals include the admonition that "A Dog Isn't Just for Christmas, It's for Life" and the simple observation that "Christmas is not a good time to introduce a new animal into a household."
For those who will not be disuaded, there is a lot of decent advice available to help you ensure your gift's destiny as a beloved new addition to the family rather than another chore, or, worse, a menace and danger.
On PageWise: We've got answers Carol Tilley-Williams writes,
Make a list of responsibilities and necessary expenses associated with acquiring a pet. One of the most important considerations should be veterinary expense. Aside from shots and worming, many dogs and cats can have congenital illnesses or allergies that are not evident at the time you acquired him/her. Such can require very expensive treatments, sometimes for the life of the pet. Making sure any animal you are considering has been thoroughly examined and given a clean bill of health by a veterinarian beforehand is essential. Any reputable breeder or shelter will be glad to provide this information for you. If you're planning to get a cat and want it de-clawed, be aware of this expense. Also, everyone should include spaying and neutering into this category.Make sure in your mind as well as your heart that your child is ready for the long term obligation to a pet. A very young child most often does not and cannot truly understand beyond short term gratification. Are you prepared to pick up the slack when and if Sally suddenly losses interest in Spot? Take your child for several visits to a friend or relative who owns a pet. Allow him or her to spend time with the pet and to perform some of the necessary functions of a pet owner, such as feeding and watering, letting the animal outside when needed or walking on a leash, and brushing the pet. As a precaution, keep the pet owner nearby so the pet will feel at ease and your child can get instruction for the tasks. If the child is quickly bored, chances are pretty good that he/she would tire of the daily demands of a pet.
Catherine, a concerned contributor at DogReader cautions, "under no circumstances whatsoever, [do you] want to take a puppy home that is younger than eight weeks."
The Humane Society of the United States suggests,
Instead of buying a puppy or kitten as a gift, consider waiting to adopt a pet after the holidays. You could even build some excitement for a post-holiday adoption. You could give a loved one a "gift certificate" from a local shelter. . . . You could also wrap up some useful pet supplies?a dog bowl, a cat collar, a scratching post, or an exercise wheel for a hamster or gerbil. . . .
Francoise Ellem makes the excellent point that
If you wait until the weeks AFTER Christmas to bring home a dog, you will often find a wide choice of pups of many breeds and mixes available at shelters and rescues nationwide. It's often the shelters' busiest time of year! These are the dogs that weren't given with enough thought as gifts and are already being given up. It's a big problem that can work FOR you as a potential, thoughtful, dog owner. They come at a substantially lower price . . . . They are often are already spayed and neutered, and in older dogs, many may already be housetrained and trained for general manners. Some of those pups may be the very same ones you may have seen in the petstores not a week, or a month, earlier! Not only will you save money for the same dog, you may save a life. . . .
Finally, some very practical advice from from Anthony Olszewski (PETCRAFT):
A very young puppy might require up to five meals a day. You can't just leave out a dish of food. Puppies should quickly get into the habit of having regular meals. Remember, what goes in one end will come out the other! [My emphasis.] If the pup eats on and off, whenever the mood strikes him or her, the pup will also defecate with no discipline. Someone must be home during the day to make sure that the little guy eats and is taken out on a schedule. The most important time to get the dog out is first thing in the morning. This means that you must jump out of bed, quickly get dressed, and take the puppy out. If you stop to put on the coffee, you will probably be too late. Dogs are creatures of habit - you decide if you want to start the puppy on the right track or not.
By contrast, Olszewski points out that "a young dog, six to eight months old, only needs to be fed twice a day." A young dog, therefore, might be easier for a new/busy owner to accomadate.
A good rule of thumb for how many hours [a] puppy can can hold his bladder and bowels is his age in months plus one [or a maximum of nine hours]. So a three-month old puppy can hold it for four hours, a five-month-old puppy for six hours, and so on. From seven months through adulthood, he should be able to hold it for nine hours total during the day, if necessary . . . .2
2Sue Sternberg, Successful Dog Adoption (p. 157).
