last christmas i gave you a dog, the very next day, you gave it away

Christmas has always been one of my favourite days of the year. It brings with it cheesy holiday movies, presents, and calories that don’t count. It’s also one of the only days that it’s socially accepted (hell, socially encouraged!) to consume champagne and chocolate before 10 o’clock in the morning. However, there is a dark side of Christmas. And no, it’s not just the ‘subtle’ digs that your extended family make to each other, or that one hideous present you have to pretend to love, or January’s credit card bill.

This dark side of Christmas? Puppies.

If you want to get technical about it, puppies do Christmas pretty well. They get brought out by Dad as a surprise final gift. They get ribbon wrapped around their collar, and are forced to wear a Santa hat. They get a name chosen for them by the little kids – probably something like Spot or Patch. Little Patch is loved, adored, his affection fought over. See little Patch tearing through the discarded wrapping paper? How precious! Hear little Patch barking along to the bells in the carols? How clever!

Fast forward to April, when boisterous little Patch is hanging out in the pound, on doggy death-row.

The amount of animals mistreated and/or abandoned across Australia is staggering. The RSPCA received a total of 69,383 dogs in the 2008-2009 year: 22,896 of those were reclaimed; 19,236 were re-homed; 22,085 were euthanised; the remainder were either transferred, or are waiting to be adopted.

So, with all these dogs hanging out in the pound, why are pet stores still allowed to sell them?

I’ve never quite understood buying dogs from a breeder or pet-store. All the dogs we’ve had throughout my life have come from the pound, or from a family that no longer wanted it. I was the kid who would pick out the stuffed toy with the slightly crooked eye, because I was scared no-one else would buy it. I’m definitely one for the scrappy, so it’s really difficult for me to understand why some people will spend around a thousand dollars on a designer dog, while they can save an animal (and their cash).

One of my cousins was contemplating buying a dog from a breeder, so I asked her why. She wants a specific breed (a Labrador) because her husband loves them, and it has certain inherent personality and care traits that she finds appealing. She has two young children, and she’s afraid that a dog from a shelter might be aggressive or have some form of psychological damage.  She also said if a dog that fit her criteria came up at a shelter, she would consider adopting it.

While I can see where she is coming from, I think the great thing about adopting animals from shelters is that they are generally a little older, and already have formed personalities. You know what you’re getting, you don’t just have a list of standardised breed traits. You can research the animal, talk to the shelter workers, and see if you’ll be a good fit for each other.

And speaking of good fits — I’m surprised by the amount of people who buy a pet on a whim, instead of thinking about the logistics. It’s important to remember what the dog needs, as well as what you want. For instance, at the moment our backyard is the size of a postage stamp. So, our dog is a miniature fox terrier. She’s also very much an indoor dog, and is crazy affectionate, and since we were looking for a companion dog, she fits in perfectly with us. Sure, she may literally paw my face when I’m not giving her enough attention, but I would prefer that to a dog that just wanted to run around outside.

During the Christmas season, when everything is bright and shiny and gorgeous and everyone’s hearts are filling with love and promise, please don’t just decide to walk by a pet store and buy a dog. And if you know anyone who is, please talk to them and make sure they understand what they are getting themselves into. And if they are honestly ready to adopt a dog? If they are committed to one? Tell them to check out the RSPCA. If they are a bit hesitant, tell them about the places that I refer to as ‘doggy-half-way-houses’.

If you’re interested in adopting a pet from a shelter (or know anyone who is) here are some links:

http://www.adoptapet.com.au/

http://www.fosterdogs.org/

http://www.operationtoby.com.au/

So, if you get a dog this Christmas, please love it. Please make the commitment to care for it for its entire life, not just until it’s no longer convenient. And please, please, PLEASE give it a more imaginative name than Patch.

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