Throw Away Dogs

As a society we are way too focused on the accumulation of "stuff" and never is that more apparent than during the holidays.  I'm not trying to be a grinch here, but it pretty sickening to see the crazy things that people choose to give as gifts - the automatic mini donut baker (cuz who can live without regularly turning out a batch of mini donuts), the coin counter that fits in your car's cupholder and digitally notes the amount in the jar should a thief be wondering whether it's worth breaking a window for....

However, the saddest thing I see gifted this time of year is puppies. Now, it's one thing if a family has been thinking about getting a dog for a long time, has looked into the time and energy that a puppy will need, and decides they are ready.  But too often it's a relative buying a dog for a child or an impulse purchase by parents without really thinking through the time a puppy requires.

The reality is many of these puppies that are so cute and roly-poly at Christmas, will be in the shelter as 8-12 month dogs this summer. People will have done no training and then are frustrated and angry when the dog is still not house-trained or has chewed up the furniture, so the dog gets dropped off at the shelter while the other gifts that kids have tired of get shipped to the Goodwill. Or sometimes they don't even get taken to the shelter, since people would have to pay to surrender a dog. Did you know that the way Apple came into the shelter is that she was thrown over a fence? Yep - that's what was listed on her kennel card. A beautiful, sweet natured, incredibly cute and spunky little dog thrown away.

As a rescue coordinator, every June we see a huge upswing of these teenage puppies at the shelters and there are always way too many to save them all. So help us rescuers out this year by spreading the word. Do your best in a gentle, non-judgmental way to educate people that a pet shouldn't be a gift. Talk to them about spay/neuter and hey, maybe gift someone a certificate to the vet to speuter their dog.  An easy way to start helping would be to share this link: http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/a-puppy-is-not-a-christmas-present  Post it on your Facebook page and share this message with others. It could save a lot of lives.