Don't Get a Puppy: Alternatives to the Bad, Bad Idea of a Dog for Christmas

Holiday Gift Guide

Little Tommy pulls the ribbon. He’s tentative, curious: did the box just move? Did he hear something in there? He pulls the lid off, and an excited Golden Retriever puppy pokes his head out of the top, his baby eyes half-closed. Tommy squeals with delight; he gently lifts the small bundle of fur out of the red-and-green package and holds it to his face for his first puppy kiss underneath the Christmas tree.

You can see it already, right? But what do you see in the coming months? What do you see next Christmas? What do you see when little Tommy gets bored with it, the same way he’s gotten bored with every Christmas present you’ve ever gotten him?

Don’t buy a puppy for Christmas. Never buy a puppy for Christmas. No matter how much little Tommy wants it; no matter how much you think he’s ready for it. Even if you know your family can handle a new addition, even if you’ve been thinking about it for months, wait until the mind-altering magic of the Holiday Season has subsided before you bring home a new dog.

Don’t end up as the family who decides they don’t want their Christmas puppy anymore. Don’t end up as the family who brings their puppy to the animal shelter to die in February because back in December they didn’t realize that it was a living, breathing, eating, peeing, pooping thing that needs hours of attention every day. Don’t turn that cute little Golden Retriever into another awful Christmas statistic.

Here are some of the main reasons people buy puppies for Christmas, and some alternative ideas that could save you a lot of stress... and save an innocent puppy its life.