A New Puppy for the Holidays
By Tricia Drammeh
We’re all familiar with the classic Holiday movie scene where a small child joyfully discovers his most cherished gift beneath the Christmas tree: an adorable puppy (or kitten) with a big red bow around its neck. A new puppy for Christmas!
I’ve always wondered, when watching such a scene play out on television or the big screen, how the parents managed to pull off such a feat. Now that I have dogs and cats of my own, I view this type of scene from an increasingly skeptical point of view.
Here’s the reality: Once that big red bow is removed, that adorable kitten is going to run to the top of your Christmas tree, sending ornaments crashing to the ground. The cute puppy will likely piddle on the Christmas tree skirt or chew up one of Junior’s brand new toys. The challenges of adopting a new animal, especially around the holidays when life is already chaotic and busy, can sometimes prove to be too much to handle. According to the ASPCA, approximately 6.5 million animals are surrendered to shelters every year. That is an absolutely heartbreaking statistic!
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| A Pixel-burrito |
Having a dog or cat is a lot of work. There are enormous challenges that come with bringing a new animal into your home, especially when that animal is a puppy or kitten. Puppies chew. They have accidents. They require an enormous amount of training and guidance. Kittens scratch and claw your carpets and furniture. A tiny kitten can get into impossibly small spaces, sending their owners frantically searching through the house for the “missing” kitty. An older animal will feel extremely anxious about their new living situation, and even one who has been potty trained or litter trained will likely have some accidents at first.
Nine years ago, we adopted our cat, Pouncer. He was a stray cat living in a warehouse in St. Louis. When a co-worker found him during a delivery, he asked if anyone in the office wanted a kitten. With my daughter’s birthday and Christmas right around the corner, I thought a (free!) kitten would be a great addition to the household.
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| Pouncer |
This “free” kitten wasn’t free at all. Like I have told my kids numerous times, there is no such thing as a “free” kitten or a “free” puppy. When we brought Pouncer home, I immediately made an appointment with our Veterinarian. Pouncer had a very nasty case of ear mites that took us weeks to get rid of. (He actually had to be sedated to have his ears cleaned out because the regular regimen of drops didn’t work.) He had parasites (fleas, worms), so he had to be quarantined from our other cat for a few days. Over the years, he’s been a “frequent flier” at the emergency animal hospital. He’s on prescription cat food due to a urinary blockage he had a year ago. He has also (along with our other cat Pixel) made a long, multi-day trip across the country when we moved to New England. (Have you ever had to settle a cat in a hotel room? If not, you’re missing out!)
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| Pouncer's ready for the trip! |
Three years ago, we adopted our dog, Tasha, from a shelter. She wasn’t a puppy, but she had accidents on the floor. She chewed and destroyed our shoes, the comforter on our bed, and numerous other items. She had severe separation anxiety and hated the car. She also had persistent stomach issues, and still, to this day, has problems with her ears. Tasha was, and continues to be, a lot of work. I wouldn’t trade her for the world, though. She has brought so much joy to our household.
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| Tasha got used to the car! |
My point is, cats and dogs are living, breathing animals that require money, time, veterinary care, and exercise. If you go on vacation, plans must be made to safely and comfortably care for your animals. Cats and dogs can come with behavioral issues or health problems. They are so much more than a gift under a tree – they are important members of our family who need our attention and love for the rest of their lives.
I don’t mean to discourage anyone from adopting a cat or dog. Yes, they are a lot of work, but they also contribute so much to our families and to our lives. I am grateful every single day for our animals and I can’t imagine life without them.
But… If you are considering adopting an animal – any animal – please carefully consider your expectations. You should expect to spend time and money. You need to expect there will be some messes and accidents during the adjustment period. You should also expect to have to “puppy-proof” or “kitten-proof” your house, because young, curious animals will get into things they shouldn’t, just like toddlers do. You should research the breed of dog you might be considering to make sure they are “right” for your family. (If you have small children, some dog breeds might not be a great fit for your family.) In short, you should expect your life to change in many ways.
With careful planning and the right attitude, you should also expect years of joy, fun excursions with your new family member, and lots of cuddles. You should expect to love and care for your cat or dog for the rest of their life. Most importantly, you should expect to love your new family member will all your heart.
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| Who can resist that face? Not me! |
If you already have a special animal in your life, please tell us about him or her in the comment section. I love to read about heartwarming animal stories!
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Planning to surprise your children with a pet? Read this before you do
Such a great, eye-opening post Tricia! Thank you for posting it! We adopted every pet we ever had but never before the busy holiday times. We live in a rural area in the mountains and a lot of people spend the summer in their vacation homes. Unfortunately, by the end of August the shelters fill up with unwanted dogs and cats that were cute puppies and kittens in the spring when the vacationers adopted them to entertain their kids for the summer. This is not even the worst, some people just leave the unwanted pets on the yard, lock the door and drive back to their city apartments. We find a lot of lost, scared and hungry animals wandering on the streets and in the woods in early September. Having a pet teaches children responsibility but around holidays when they're excited about their new toys and overwhelmed by family gathering, is not a good time to add a living creature to the household that needs care and lots of attention.
There are some legitimate reasons for rehoming a pet, but there is never an excuse for just abandoning and animal after you're finished "using" them! How horrible, Erika. My heart breaks for those poor babies. Adopting an animal around the holidays can be chaotic, but for an experienced pet owner who knows what to expect, it can be okay. My concern is with people who have no idea what they are getting themselves into. When they realize they've bitten off more than they can chew, the poor dog or cat is dumped off at a shelter. It's very traumatic for the animal, and probably for the child who wonders why his "gift" is being sent away.
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We bought our beautiful GSD a few days before Christmas last year. The timing was intentional because I would be home for 3 whole weeks to get her settled in before going back to work. People kept saying to me, "How lovely a puppy for christmas." My response would be a dead pan face with the come back "No we are keeping her for ever." Pets should be chosen and cherrisehed, never given as a gift.
The other thing to consider is that pets get old, and they can be as much work and expense then as when they were puppies and kittens.
That's very true, Annabelle. They tend to need more veterinary care when they're older. With our dog, Rudy, he also needed to go out in the middle of the nights to potty during the last year of his life. It's just like the life cycle of a human - our needs change as we grow up and then grow older.
A dose of reality. They're not presents one can just put on a shelf or "take back". Then, there's the heartache of losing them.
I'm glad you brought that up, Eva. Having an animal in your life means seeing them through for their entire life, including when you have to say goodbye. Nothing hurts more.
Tricia Drammeh shares the pitfalls and joys of adopting pets and cautions against inflicting the holidays on a new pet on
#OurAuthorGang today.
I agree with her, our pets deserve our time and attention and Christmas is a terrible time to give a puppy or kitten as a gift -- too much noise and confusion for a new member of the family.
So true Tricia! Thank you for your timely post. Pets need your full attention at first, and patience too.
My bad little doggies are all rescues, except Romeo, who I found as a puppy the week after my last big dog died. I still think Sugar sent him to me because I was heartbroken when she left us. Spice, her brother, had died six months before. So we only had my daughter's little dogs and cats. And Queen, the cat that came with the house...
All our animals were either strays or shelter dogs. There is definitely an adjustment period, though, with any animal you bring into your home.
It sounds like you have lots of animals to care for and love!
A great post to make some serious considerations before adopting a pet.
Adopting pets during the Holidays with Tricia
Great post, Tricia. My Margie has been a handful and a half, but I love her dearly. Bring a pet into your home is like accpeting the presence of an eternal tolder. If you treat your pets like members of the family, caring for this isn't so hard; however, if they are "just pets" they can feel like unwanted burdens. No animal wants to be an unwanted burden.
Yes, I agree. You need to go into it remembering these animals are family members. You don't get rid of family members just because they're time-consuming or messy.
Today, Tricia Drammeh shares the highs and lows of pet adoption and then reels us in with cute pet pictures.
#OurAuthorGang
Excellent insight and advice, Tricia.
Today on
#OurAuthorGang, author Tricia Drammeh offers some good, cautionary advice for the upcoming Christmas or Holiday season.
Today on
#OurAuthorGang, we're talking about things to consider before bringing home a new puppy or kitten for the holidays.
P. J. Mann originally shared
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A great post to make some serious considerations before adopting a pet.
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