We are on our way to the Big Day. Shoppers are scurrying around buying gifts and Googling like their life depends on it. All hoping they surprise relatives and friends with just the Christmas gift they want.
It's a really nice feeling to see a loved one so happy with the gift you bought them. If it isn't precisely the present they hoped for it's a bit disappointing but no real harm done.
Granddad will always wear the zip-up slippers you don't really like and a scarf will always find a good home. Sometimes you buy someone a gift they really want only to find they grew tired of it a few weeks later.
None of this is a BIG deal unless the gift is a live animal in which case the whole exercise takes on an entirely different complexion. PLEASE do not even think of giving anyone a puppy for Christmas.
It may sound like a great idea at the time but anyone who wants a dog needs to think it through very carefully in the full realisation that dog could be with them for 15 years. Just like a child it will need education, daily exercise and attention. In the early months it will be extremely hard work. You cannot leave a young puppy unsupervised any more than you can a baby.
Don't make those commitments for someone else, allow them to work it out for themselves. I meet so many parents who end up responsible for a dog belonging to a son/daughter who 'doesn't have time' for it any more.
You wouldn't present someone with a child as a gift so don't do it with a dog. That's a decision they REALLY need to agonise over.
If you want a dog then by all means have one but do think it through. No point adopting a young high-energy Boxer if all you want to do is stroll down to the pub.
I have a DVD on choosing a rescue dog maybe that would be an appropriate start to your search?
Enjoy!
