Pets not the best idea for children
Published 4:11 pm Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Although this puppy is cute and in need of adoption, a family has to ask if it's ready for such a purchase at Christmas. -- Rick Couch photo
At Christmas, puppies often seem like the perfect gift. Nothing lights up a child’s face like the thrill of seeing a new best friend underneath the tree.
Unfortunately, many times parents don’t think these gifts through and the result is a visit to the local animal shelter.
This Christmas, the Selma Animal Shelter is asking the community to do extensive research before bring home an animal for the holidays.
Selma Animal Shelter volunteer Learnesha Pullon said all animals deserve a good home, but the homes should be ready.
“I think animals are a lot like humans because they want to be somewhere warm and to be loved,” she said. “People just need to make sure they are ready for them.”
Petrescue.com asks Christmas shoppers to consider the following factors before buying a dog:
The timing teaches children the wrong values
Many families who value pet ownership do so at least partly because of what children can learn from the family pets in terms of care and responsibility, love and loyalty, and respect for other living beings.
But think of what happens to the rest of the toys and gifts that start out under the Christmas tree. By Valentine’s Day, most of them have been shelved or broken or traded or forgotten. The excitement inevitably wears off, and the once compelling toy becomes something to use, use up, and then discard in favor of something newer.
A good breeder will not send a puppy home on Christmas morning
Responsible breeders – those who guarantee the health and temperament of their puppies, and who are abreast of current knowledge about canine health, genetics, socialization and development – already know these things and will not send a puppy home with its new owner on Christmas morning.
If you were to be able to obtain a puppy from someone who actually let you have it on Christmas Eve so that it could appear under the tree on Christmas morning, that should tell you something. It should warn you that you would be getting your puppy from someone who does not know enough about canine behavior and development to be in the business of breeding or selling puppies.
