Pets as Gifts – Rethinking a Puppy for Christmas

Why You Shouldn’t Give Someone a Puppy for Christmas

Unless it has been well-thought, researched, and planned for – giving pets as gifts is not always the best idea. A surprise puppy for Christmas sounds like so much fun, but these spur of the moment decisions can often lead to heart-wrenching situations for both the pup and the family. There are of course circumstances in which giving pets as gifts works out completely fine and everyone lives happily ever after, however for the reasons below, important considerations should be made before giving a puppy for Christmas.

Rethinking Pets as Gifts

TV and movies have made it seem like getting a puppy for Christmas is the perfect, heartwarming gift for your children or significant other – and for certain people it can be. Before considering giving pets as gifts, please remember that these are in fact living, breathing, animals that take a lot of time, money, and care throughout their whole life (often upwards of 10-15 years). You should never buy a pet like you would buy a toy. Pets are not playthings, and they should not be an impulse purchase.

Preparation is necessary

It is rare that a puppy for Christmas is planned well in advance, or if it is, the decision is not often made by all members affected. Pets of any kind are a huge commitment, especially a young puppy that needs constant love and attention during the busiest time of year. For this reason alone, the new owner taking on this responsibility should be fully prepared. Young pups often wind up at shelters or euthanized because the owners couldn’t handle the responsibility or the dog ended up with behavior problems from lack of training.

A friend or family member may seem like they really want a pet as a gift, but if they were completely prepared and ready for the commitment, they would likely just get one themselves. It is one thing to get your adult friend or family member a surprise puppy for Christmas, but it is quite another to surprise a child with a pet as a gift. If the child is not prepared or old enough, they will likely think of this sweet new addition as a “toy” – they will love it at first, but this gift can’t simply be put away to play with later. We highly suggest that you ensure the new owner of the “puppy present” is well prepared, and completely ready for the responsibility before you even begin to consider giving pets as gifts.

The Holidays are Crazy Enough

Outside of the preparation and planning needed before bringing a new pet into your home, the time of year should also be taken into consideration – another reason to rethink a puppy for Christmas. The holidays are already a very busy time for families, and adding a new puppy into the mix could ensue chaos.

You want to start your new pup off on a good routine that you will be able to sustain. With all the different activities, time off school, etc. going on around the holidays, everyone is already out of their typical routines – so keeping a proper training, feeding, potty schedule is going to be tough. The holidays are also a time of house decorations, presents, and other safety hazards to be strewn about the home, giving the new dog an opportunity to get into a lot of trouble or get hurt.

So you may have reconsidered your plan to give your special someone a puppy for Christmas, but if you still need a great gift for a dog lover on your list,  our high quality CBD Hemp dog products, or high quality dog goodies from our partners SDHQ, make great stocking stuffers.