Puppies for Christmas

A puppy, what a perfect gift for Christmas! Your kids have decided that’s what they want, they won’t let it go, you’re feeling pressured into buying a puppy for Christmas, you think it won’t be that bad, I could wrap it up in a cute red bow, the look on their face will be priceless.

If you’re stuck in this predicament please keep readying.


Every year around this time many families are thinking of buying a puppy for Christmas. For most people it wasn’t a well thought plan, mostly impulse. You go into that pet store, the puppies are staring at you, you feel sorry for them, you figure it’s a great gift, you fork over way too much money and Ta-Da you have yourself a puppy for Christmas. Does a puppy deserve to be bought on impulse?
Let me give you a little food for thought on buying a puppy for Christmas.

1.Many unscrupulous dog breeders breed frantically in hopes of making a business killing, selling puppies around Christmas. This practice can promote terrible results genetically. The mass breeding of puppies accounts for the majority of genetic disabilities in pure breed dogs today, and almost guarantees the risk of acquiring a dog with health issues.

2.It’s winter! Do you really want to be taking your puppy out in -30 degree weather to go to the bathroom every time after it eats, plays, and wakes up? Most people don’t. Winter is a tough time to properly socialize your young pup. It’s not easy to take it for walks, stand in a chilly dog park, and let it be exposed to as many different situations/people/animals in those key weeks.

3.Christmas time is busy. Do you have the time and energy to put into a new puppy? The extra hustle and bustle around the house may not be conducive to concentrating on puppy training. If your puppy gets off to a bad start with house training, it may take her weeks to get back on track. Your puppy would need walking (come rain, blizzard or shine) training, feeding, brushing, cleaning up after, as well as playing with. If not your bored little puppy will probably eat your sofa.

4.A house full of guests can also be quite nerve wracking for a young pup. Everyone wants to hold her, and the kids don't seem to understand that getting passed around for hours may not be enjoyable for the animal. A puppy can easily become tired and overwhelmed, and this can lead to nipping and other behaviors.

5. Are you really sure you want that puppy, or are you just giving into your child's (or girlfriends', etc) pleas? Keep in mind that kids will always promise to take care of the dog, but very few keep that promise. That means that you will most likely end up as the main caregiver for the dog. If you are not prepared for that, you should probably consider a pet that will be easier to care of. A puppy is just like another child. If your kids really want one for Christmas they’ll want one in the spring time. Give them a coupon for a puppy to be purchased in the spring!

I hope that helps you think a little bit more about impulsively buying a puppy for Christmas. Did you know that after Christmas lots of shelters have an influx of puppies and dogs needing homes. Mostly from families that didn’t think before they buy.


What I suggest is if you still want a puppy come spring time get one. Do your research over the winter, look for a respected breeder, go on a wait list, or have a good look around at different shelters. Springtime is a great time to get a puppy. The weather is getting nicer, more people are getting outside. The busyness of the holidays are over, your back from tropical winter vacations, and you have all summer to socialize and train your puppy!

War Dogs the Forgotten Heroes

During this time of remembrance I wanted to talk about something a little different. Did you know that dogs were trained to help out on the war fronts of WW1 and WW2 along with the Korean War, and Vietnam War etc.

Alongside our men and woman there were brave dogs specially trained to search out the enemy hiding in the bush, detect mines and booby traps, alert troops in foxholes at night to approaching danger, and to carry messages, ammunition and medical supplies. In these battles, as in their training, the men learned to depend on their dogs and to trust their dogs' instincts with their lives. The USA started training dogs for war after the tragedy at Pearl Harbor. At the height of World War II more than ten thousand dogs from the United States, plus thousands of Red Cross dogs from many nations were in action. Before being sent overseas, dogs were stationed in army camps where they received an intensive twelve-week training period, usually as sentry and patrol "soldiers." Out of the thousands who were "signed up" for duty, seven breeds were found to be most suitable - Belgian shepherds, German shepherds, collies, Airedales, Dobermans, giant schnauzers and Rottweilers. The Great Danes and Mastiffs were also selected as good watchdogs. Most of the dogs were found from locals, donated to the war efforts from their homes.


It is sad though to say that most of the dogs when returned overseas were “disposed” of. Our dogs, primarily Doberman Pinschers and German Shepherds, were thought to have the “junkyard dog” syndrome, they were killers, and it was too timely and expensive to re-train them. Captain William W. Puteny D.V.M lobbied for the right to detrain these dogs and won. The program of deindoctrination was overwhelmingly successful. About 95% of the dogs that came back from war were able to retrained and returned to civilian life.. Pets that were once household pets became household pets again! In many cases, in fact, because the original, civilian owners were unable or unwilling to take the dogs back, the dogs went home with the handlers that they had served so well during the war.

With the end of the 'War To End All Wars,' about 7,000 dogs were thought to have lost their lives, this figure is probably low, based on the total number of dogs used by all sides. Some reports cited German loses alone at over 7,000 and a United States Veterinary Corps history stated 16,000 battle deaths.

It is amazing to think that Man’s Best Friend truly was Man’s Best Friend during the wars of our life time. For me I give nothing but thanks to these forgotten heroes of the war, the warm blooded canines who kept our men warm in the trenches, who sniffed out bombs to keep our men’s feet safe, whose hearing was so great they could hear the enemy sneaking up on the trenches, the ones who could locate the wounded hidden in deep brush, the muscles that pulled food and ammunition to the troops through winter blizzards and the one who would not stop digging because he heard the Germans coming up from underneath the building! These dogs deserve a minute of silence this Remembrance day