Why a puppy should be kept off the Christmas wishlist

With Christmas arriving just around the corner, and the prospect of the New Year, previous experiences have told us that as a dog rescue, there will be sure to be the familiar rehoming of a lot of Christmas “gift” puppies come January to March. These will be the puppies people have purchased as gifts for adults and children alike.

Puppies bought as gifts are often bought out of haste or excitement and, as the novelty lifts, and the realisation of how much work comes with the addition of a puppy to the household starts to prosper, rescues and pounds end up flooded with unwanted dogs and puppies of all breeds and ages that people need quick riddance of. In reality, Christmas is most likely the absolute worst time to add a dog to the family as there is already so much going on. Each year, the dog rescues and pounds feel the familiar strain of incoming unwanted dogs bought as Christmas gifts. Despite the good intentions that were no doubt felt when purchasing puppies as gifts. Caring for animals is an enormous responsibility, dogs are a fifteen year commitment and come with a lot of demanding needs, expenses and time requirements.

When Christmas puppies need to be rehomed, there is a process that can have a huge effect on both the dogs and the rescues that comes into play:

°They put a strain on already struggling dog shelters and rescues, both financially, space and time wise

°they experience the upheaval of the rehoming process, a lot of the time they experience some time in kennels where shelter life can be a stressful environment for them

°This means they can miss out on their early life socialisation stages – important for their development

°they are broken hearted having to experience leaving their families and finding a new home

°The process can lead to separation anxiety or other behavioural issues making it harder for them to find a new homs

Our dogs deserve the best lives possible and, sadly, being given as a gift makes this much more unlikely. Although puppies look very cute under the Christmas tree, please, leave them out of the Christmas wishlist and instead maybe sponsor a shelter dog as a gift for someone instead, make a donation in their name to PAWS, get your pals together and do a covid-safe festive fundraiser like a zoom quiz and make a donation together or take some time to consider the process, speak to PAWS and perhaps adopt a dog instead out of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas period. For more information on donations or sponsorship, see our homepage www.paws.ie