[twalla]

I was going to send this to our local paper.... what do you think?


A Dog is for Life, not just for Christmas -

You need to ask yourself some questions before getting your child a puppy for Christmas.

Did you handle potty training your child with patience and consistency? If the answer is no then you do not need a puppy.

Do you plan to get a dog for outside? If the answer is yes, do you have a fenced in yard? If not, then you do not need a puppy.

Did you plan to have children or more children?
If the answer is no then you do not need a puppy. Puppies demand a lot of attention and require a lot of work.

Do you plan to tie your dog up outside? If so then you need to think about the Texas Anti-Tethering Law that was put into place on 09/01/07. Part of the law states, a dog restrained for a reasonable period, not to exceed three hours in a 24-hour period, and no longer than is necessary for the owner to complete a temporary task that
requires the dog to be restrained.

No doubt about it, puppies are cute and a lot of fun. The delight that you must have to see your child's face light up on Christmas morning is probably priceless. Any potty accidents or naughtiness that day or even the week to come will more than likely be seemed as endearing, normal puppy behavior, heart warming and laughed off.

Now it is a month, six months down the road and that same puppy has gotten bigger, still having potty accidents and their naughtiness has gone from tearing up your favorite shoes to eating the walls and your brand new sofa. This bigger puppy is now a major handful and your child has lost interest while they and everything else is covered in dog hair.

If you are dead set on still buying a puppy for Christmas then educate yourself before doing so. Adopt an animal from a shelter; sadly in 2005 over a half million animals were euthanized in Texas. Can you imagine the numbers today? Educate yourself before buying from a breeder, do not buy from a backyard breeder or a puppy mill. Example, Yorkies are in high demand but if you buy one that is advertised as a "teacup" then you are buying from a backyard breeder or a puppy mill. There is no such thing as a teacup yorkie. Do the research. Be educated. Education is key.

The fact is that the majority of puppies that are given at Christmas end up in a shelter, where they will be euthanized. This is at no fault of the puppy but yours. Can you live with that?