A CHRISTMAS PUPPY IS NOT "JUST ANOTHER TOY" - Page 1

Read this poem this morning and I just had to share! 


A CHRISTMAS PUPPY IS NOT "JUST ANOTHER TOY" !!!

Twas' the night before Christmas Chained in the Yard

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
... ... Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
With no thought of the dog filling their head.
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Knew he was cold, but didn't care about that.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Figuring the dog was free and into the trash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of midday to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus - his eyes full of tears.
He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,
Last years Christmas present, now thin and sick.
More rapid than eagles he called the dog's name.
And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain;
"Now, DASHER! Now, DANCER! Now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! On CUPID! On, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Let's find this dog a home where he'll be loved by all"
I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,
For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear,
The gift of a dog is not just for the season,
We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons.
In our haste to think of giving the kids a gift
There was one important thing that we missed.
A dog should be family, and cared for the same
You don't give a gift, then put it on a chain.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
"You weren't given a gift! You were given a life!"

Anonymous 

I love this, and will be posting it on my FB...Makes me think of a couple sick people in my own family that if I had it my way would have their dogs removed from them forever. Thank you for sharing.

Sad poem indeed.

I just listed my pups today,
in the end I decide who takes one home and who is turned away.
Easter chicks and bunnies grow into tasty meals though...:)

That's great poseidon.

Sad poem indeed, at times some parents get the animals as pets to keep the child occupied instead of them doing that. Too funny Poseidon, was wondering if that was "Eddie" from "Frasier"? Looked a little like him. Love those JRTs. Moons...... reminded me of that bumper sticker, "PETA".

People eat tasty animals?
I forgot to mention the cookies and milk, loved it.

Yep!  TOO FUNNY!

I don't see anything wrong with selling a puppy as a Christmas present as long as the buyer is willing to wait until New Years day to get the dog. The exception MIGHT be a family of adults where there are no small kids. I'm not keen on selling puppies to families with kids under 3 anyway. I lost a great GSD the day after Thanksgiving a few years ago. Getting a new dog as a Christmas present that year would have meant the world to me.

I think it depends purely on the individuals concerned. My last GSD, Jaikei (1996/7-29/11/2004) was a Christmas present from me to myself. In 1996 I'd had a horrendous year and I missed not having a dog around.
I decided tha I would get myself a dog for Christmas - but only for the Christmas period. I fully intended to keep her as a member fo the family, as we had with all our dogs.

So in January 1997 I went to Birmingham Dogs' Home. They used to have a "puppy house" where even 3 weeks after Xmas they had pups that weren't wanted. I had gone there to get a pup but ended up buying Jaikei. At the time she was 12-18 months old, fear aggressive particularly towards men, hated being in enclosed spaces, was terrified of having her tail touched and deliberately launched and tried to bite most people who came anywhere near her.

They used to have a system whereby you could return a dog within 3 weeks if you felt things weren't working out. Personally I don't think 3 weeks is long enough for a dog to settle in. Jaikei had already been returned to BDH 3 times. I was her last chance and she was already a week past her "date due out" date.

I worked hard with her and it took almost 4 years for Jaikei to calm down enough to accept certain male members of my family. She'd clearly been badly abused.

She was my best friend and I still miss her every day. It took me 4 years to decide I was able to cope with another dog. I decided in December 2007 that I was going to buy myself a GSD puppy for CHristmas. That particular furry lump is my oldest GSD, Zane who is almost 4 years old now. The following year in January 2009 I went back to BDH and bought Yiannis who was 3 months old at the time. yet another Christmas present from me to myself.

I do think it would be sensible for breeders to ensure they DON'T have pups between October and February. Thsi way the novelty has gone before it's started and if people buy a pup it wouldn't be anything to do with Christmas. But then, there are people such as myself who may need Christmas as an excuse to actually take the plunge and get another dog. I needed it when I bought Zane after I'd lost Jaikei.