Hello everybody!   
   Great essay I found on facebook   
      
      
   There will be many postings about giving a pet for Christmas. Therefore we are   
   going to do something we never do (yeah right): give our opinion.   
      
   We do not believe in giving a live animal as a gift. Why? Well for one: they   
   are alive. That means they need to be cared for, wanted until the day they   
   pass and loved in all the days before that. If someone is willing to make that   
   commitment then they should be the one to make that decision and not find out   
   when handed over with a bow. Pets are forever, whether people agree or not   
   that really is the way it should be. Sadly many times is not the way it is.   
   This is why so many are surrendered to shelters or worse abandoned roadside.   
   When pets are given at Christmas rescues and shelters see a rise in owner   
   surrenders during the months of February through March. This is because the   
   cute puppiness has worn off and the reality of potty training, puppy   
   destruction and proper care becomes a reality. Instead of seeing through their   
   commitment they decide it would be best to take the out of sight out of mind   
   approach and off goes the so-called Christmas gift. The poor fuzzball has done   
   nothing wrong: they are being exactly what they are: puppies. What many people   
   do not realize is that a shelter does NOT have to put a hold on an owner   
   surrender. A hold is when the shelter will hold the animal until their owner   
   has a chance to reclaim it. Since the owner is the one that turned it in then   
   a lot of times the poor animal is taken straight back to the kill room .   
   Shelters have many animals coming in everyday, many that are strays with a   
   hold time. So an owner surrender will be first to be euthanized. Again: the   
   poor soul did nothing wrong, and yet many times this is exactly how it ends   
   for them.   
   Now on the flip-side: we do have families that want to adopt a puppy/dog   
   during Christmas as a family addition. We have had adoptions during the   
   holidays BUT we insure it is not just for that reason. Sometimes people want   
   to add a pet during this time because the family is out on holiday break and   
   it is a good time to have a pet adjust to their new home. Other families do   
   want it to be a Christmas gift, and we spend a lot of time explaining our   
   concerns with that . Families also want to adopt but during the summer they   
   are just not home enough: sports, vacations, traveling, home projects, and so   
   on hinder them from wanting to bring in a pet during a hectic time. We also   
   make sure the decision is not based on what a child wants but instead that the   
   parents realize they are the ones that must want the pet. After all, they are   
   the ones that will have to take full responsibility for the proper care of the   
   new arrival. Having children, I realize their attention span was quite short   
   when they were younger. I also know that what they just have to have or will   
   die is not so important the following week.   
   So it come down to this: choosing to bring in a new pet at any time is a big   
   decision that has to be carefully thought through. It is not a good idea to   
   give a pet to someone as a gift. The person on the receiving end must make the   
   decision since this will now be their responsibility and their life will   
   change. A family wanting to adopt a pet needs to realize the parents have to   
   be the ones that truly want the pet, not what their children are asking for.   
   Children cannot be held responsible for the total care of that pet. That is   
   why they are children and their parents are still caring for them. Adopting a   
   pet can be a wonderful experience. It can teach children responsibility in the   
   everyday care and love of a pet. But remember: when a parent decides to get   
   rid of that same pet due to housebreaking, destruction and so on they are also   
   teaching their children NOT to be good responsible pet owners. They are   
   teaching them it is ok to discard them.   
   Regardless of when someone decides to adopt we hope they think it through,   
   both pros and cons. Rescues a lot of time seem, in the publics opinion ,to   
   make it difficult to adopt. The fact is, when rescues take in these poor dogs   
   they are putting a lot of time, money and care into them. They become part of   
   their foster family. In the end all they want is to know they will be well   
   cared for and loved. They can then go on and rescue another. Foster homes have   
   revolving doors. Inside those homes are the big hearts of those unselfish   
   people that have taken in dogs no questions asked and make them a part of   
   their family. We all want what is best for each and every rescue dog. I think   
   that really is true for any pet lover, isnt is?   
      
   Matt   
      
      
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