As it happens every year, this Christmas the rush for gifts has already begun. The urge to surprise and the desire to please our beloved ones can make us make great choices but also quite risky things. One of these is to give dogs and cats as gifts at Christmas. Buying a pet is not a problem but, before taking such a big step, we should think about it carefully.
What does it mean to give a puppy as a Christmas present?
The turnover of buying and selling pets is insane. Just think that every day there are about 500 thousand online ads of only dogs and cats for sale. Even in 2022, as has always occurred, the figures are increasing as Christmas approaches.
The most popular pets are puppies of a small group of particularly trendy breeds. Think for example of the blue-gray French bulldog, the German shepherd, Siamese or Savannah cats… Wanting them is not a crime, buying them is not either. However, one must be aware that bringing an animal into their family is a big step.
It requires awareness, not a whim. And before giving in to an eye-catching price ad, we should ask where these puppies come from, make sure of the breeding traceability, the authenticity of the documents. Then there is the fact that a puppy, sadly, will grow up fast: are we really ready to take care of it?
Why buy dogs and cats when you can adopt them?
The dark side of the spike in dogs and cats sales at Christmas time is the abandonment in the months following. Every year thousands of dogs end up in pounds, abandoned as barely more than puppies, left at the mercy of events. But why does this happen? Often it is not about cruelty but simple superficiality. We are so blinded by the idea of having a new puppy that we don’t think about the consequences.
Such superficiality, though, can compromise an animal’s life forever. So why not fix the mistakes of someone else? This Christmas there is still time to turn things around. If you are a pet lover, have time and desire to care for a dog or cat, have experience or are willing to learn how to raise a pet, you can visit your city’s pound and give a stray a second chance. After all, the Christmas magic is also about that.
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