That Puppy for Christmas…

Let me preface these comments by first saying that it is a terrible idea to bring a puppy into the household at Christmas time. It is not fair to the pup and it is not fair to you. There is simply too much happening to introduce a puppy properly into the household.

That being said, some pet shops will prepare for the holiday season by having puppies available. It is commerce and people will spend. A puppy can be an impulse buy and, during the holiday season, the merchants count on the ‘Hollywood-ish’ element to move the merchandise. In this case, the merchandise is a pup (or puppies). There are numerous reasons but do not buy a pup from a retain store. It is simply inviting problems.

The reason that I am discussing this issue in August is that, if you really really really must have a puppy in December, now is the time to prepare for that. Puppies are born sixty three days after a successful mating. After a litter arrives, a responsible breeder will not send the puppy to its new home until after eight weeks. Pup needs to be with its litter for eight weeks. If a breeder is willing to let a puppy go to its new home earlier than that, you need to find another dog breeder.

So, if there is a puppy in the plans for the December holidays, now is the time to find a dog breeder whom you trust. That is the first step in the process…

Catherine Forsythe