Christmas puppies?

We are starting to think a lot about Christmas.
In Iowa, it snowed yesterday & the temperature hasn't reached 15 degrees yet. Yes, it's cold............but that is expected in December. I love snow in December, not so much in February & March.

With this cold weather, come thoughts of Christmas & joyous times spent with friends & family.

We have some wonderful Christmas traditions: at All-Pets, we pick one day, usually the Thursday before Christmas and have games, food, drink & fun all day at work. That way no one has to fit another event into their busy schedule. We don't take any appointments, don't groom any dogs or do surgery. We will answer the phone & take emergencies. I don't see any way around that if we are going to have a party during work hours. Rachel's favorite event is stealing Santa. Everyone brings a gift & we can pick our gift from un-opened presents or take someone else's---if it strikes our fancy. We all enjoy loud board games, music and food all day.

For our family: each pet always gets one present, typically a toy. The dogs understand how to open the presents, with a little encouragement. The cats have not figured that out yet. We also go to the movies on Christmas eve. And we put up our Christmas tree! We are probably the last family in the United States to wait until Christmas eve. My husband's family always waited & he does insist. We always get an excellent price on our tree & since it's only up for about a week, the cats rarely knock it over.

Another Christmas tradition is to get a pet as a gift. When I was 9, all my dreams came true and Santa really did bring me a Christmas puppy. She was a cocker mix & I named her Crisi (for Christmas). She wasn't quite as smart as my expectations (Lassie set the bar pretty high), but she was a very sweet dog---good with kids & quite adorable.

My parents had thought long & hard about my wishes for a Christmas puppy & they made a good choice for the family: a small sweet dog, good with children. I showed a strong, consistent interest in dogs, & they also realized they would have to take care of the expense & help with her care.

It's not completely wrong to give a Christmas pet, but this should never be done on a whim. The receiver should sincerely want a pet. If a pet is given to a child, the parents need to be fully aware of the situation & understand that they (never the child) are the primary caregivers.

The best place to get a puppy or kitten is from a rescue group or quality breeder. Pet stores and commercial breeders are the most accessible, and often have more pets available at Christmas. You may get a wonderful, adorable pup from a pet store or commercial breeder. But, the real issue is finding out how the parents of that critter have been treated. Sometimes commercial breeders keep the dogs outside (even Chihuahuas & poodles), sometimes vet work isn't done, rarely are dental issues taken care of. These are questions you can ask when you buy a puppy: where does the mother live? how many dogs do you have? when did they last go to the vet? when was its last dental prophylaxis? All dogs should have regular checkups, and medical problems should be treated promptly. To most commercial breeders, dogs are commodities and they are not willing to invest money in quality vet care. The signs of a quality breeder: the dogs live in the house, the dogs see their vet regularly, the dogs have health testing done. Typically a high quality breeder will only have one breed that they are very invested in.  Most good breeders wouldn't let you take a pup home right at Christmas. The pup would come to your house after the excitement of the holidays, when the focus could be on the puppy. With a quality breeder, you may need to wait for a puppy, but its worth it.

So, make sure to get your pets an extra toy or treat at Christmas & enjoy this wonderful, chilly time with friends & family.