Kittens and puppies are adorable creatures, and they are extremely appealing to children. Many parents think that a puppy or a kitten will be a perfect holiday gift for their children. And it may be the right gift—but only if the children are truly interested in having a pet and are old enough to behave responsibly around a puppy or kitten, and only if the parents are ready to accept it as another member of the family, able to provide it with a safe home, and willing and able to care for it over the animal’s lifetime–which may be 10-15 years.
In other words, acquiring a pet should not be an impulsive act but rather one that’s been given a lot of thought. Like the decision to have children, the decision to give a pet a home should be regarded as a major commitment for the entire family.
For families willing to invest the time and expense involved in having a pet, the rewards are immeasurable. Well-treated pets offer their human guardians a great deal of pleasure, unconditional love, and amusement.
But too many cute puppies and kittens are thoughtlessly given as holiday gifts and end up being neglected or discarded because they are considered troublesome, the family becomes bored with them, or a landlord does not permit pets. They are intelligent, sentient beings wholly dependent upon their guardians. To treat them as disposable objects is inexcusable.
If you or someone you know is considering acquiring a pet for the first time, many good books are available on raising a healthy, happy puppy. Such a book is Colleen Pelar’s Living with Kids and Dogs: A Parent’s Guide to Controlling the Chaos. Another book worth sharing is The Souls of Animals, by Gary Kowalski, who shows that other creatures are not insentient objects devoid of feelings and intellect, but thinking beings who have feelings and needs, just like us humans. Either of these books would make a great holiday gift.