You might remember the Motivational WebTV (episode #26) where I talked about pet ownership as a big secret to happiness. I want to bring an important point up regarding this. You may have seen on TV where children wish for a new puppy for Christmas (or birthday) and then the parents surprise the kids with a new puppy on Christmas morning.
This scene might seem so cute. The new puppy has a new home and loving family and the entire family is feeling sheer happiness. But in real life, something else happens.
Realities Of A Christmas Puppy
Mommy and daddy completely underestimated the high responsibilities of caring for a real live pet such as a dog, an untrained puppy to be exact. The children are much too young to take direct responsibility for the puppy so the real work reverts back to the parents who are completely ignorant about dog ownership.
Pretty soon, the entire family learns that the once cute little Christmas puppy is not a soft bouncy toy but instead, a complete menace tearing everything up in sight, urinating and defecating everywhere in the house. The puppy starts whining when left alone which disturbs the neighbours. Does this sound familiar?
The kids have lost interest in the puppy and nobody can control it. It seems like the parents are doing nothing but cleaning up after the puppy (after all, the kids don’t do it). After a few weeks, the family surrenders and gives up the idea of having a dog. The puppy is taken to the animal shelter as another unwanted animal.
The Great Tragedy Of An Unwanted Dog
If the animal shelter cannot successfully get the puppy adopted by a new responsible family, it is euthanized. This is a real tragedy that should never have happened. It all started with the parents acting on impulse and giving into the kids’ wishes for a Christmas puppy without doing their research.
Pet ownership is one of the best things in life and I stand behind my statements in my Motivational WebTV episode but it is HIGH responsibility and requires the proper EDUCATION of the dog OWNER first, not the puppy. The humans have to be educated first before even acquiring the puppy. Then the humans continue to learn as the puppies are trained at home and/or in a puppy obedience class run by professional dog trainers.
In my mind, I think prospective dog owners either at a pet store, the breeders or at the animal shelters, should provide proof that they are capable as responsible dog owners first before being allowed to take a dog home.
Get Educated As Dog Owners
As far as the basics in dog obedience, I’ve put together a video demonstrating how to train your dog with some of the essentials and this is available for all for free at my dog website. I can also help new dog owners potty train their new puppies using an efficient indoor method with a litterbox as well.
Visit my dog website for lots more information and videos. Let’s not let the tragedy of turning Christmas puppies into unwanted animals happen. It’s our responsibility to do the right research and get properly educated before bringing a new dog home.
If you know of anybody who is thinking of getting a new puppy for the Christmas season, please share this post with them so they get a dose of reality first. It’s a puppy’s life we are talking about here.
photo credit: Kelly Finnamore
Dogs are amazing animals that have been known to human kind for years, i love them and i mean they are like my best best friends.