You’ve imagined the scenario for months: Your children wake up on Christmas morning, tear down the stairs as fast as they can, sprint around the corner to see the Christmas tree, and scream in delight when their eyes land on a furry little puppy adorned with a big red bow. It’s the ultimate present, and your kids are beside themselves with excitement. The moment is perfect and your heart’s full knowing you’re responsible for their sheer joy.

Then a couple weeks go by… the initial exhilaration has passed, and the puppy has proven to be a lot more work than anyone anticipated. You’re beginning to question whether your decision was realistic or if you were overcome by the romantic notion. Your worry is warranted – there are many reasons Christmas is not the ideal time to purchase a new dog. For those that have been toying with the idea of gifting a loved one with a cute little canine, consider these reasons why the holidays may not be the best time of year.

A Few Good Reasons

• People often become so caught up in the surprise of giving a puppy that they neglect to look into the logistics. Although puppies are adorable and extremely lovable, they come with high demands. They need to be fed daily, given adequate attention and exercise, and be taken to the vet frequently for checkups and vaccinations. Similar to a child, a puppy is a life-changing decision that should not be taken lightly.
• With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the animal won’t get the welcome it deserves. Chances are the calendar is full of things to do and people to see – which can leave the puppy lost by the wayside. Evaluate the schedule of the person you will be gifting the puppy to. Do they attend school all day? Travel often? Work long hours? If so, they are not a great candidate to own a dog. Though the gift might score you a lot of points on Christmas day, it’s unfair to the animal to live a life of isolation and boarding kennels.



• Finances tend to be particularly tight after the Holidays. Consider your loved one’s financial situation. Animals make a big dent on the bank account, and perhaps the recipient is not equipped for their lifelong bills. As most people have just maxed out their budget for holiday expenditures, a puppy may not fit into the equation.
• The chilly temperatures of winter may make potty training an unbearable experience. Training a new animal is no fun, and requires trips outside every few hours. In order to prevent accidents from occurring on your carpet or furniture, you’ll want to hang around with the puppy outdoors until you’ve seen its business is taken care of. This will be a miserable, grueling process if it’s going to take place in the snow. Additionally, keep in mind their bodies aren’t going to shut down just because you’re asleep – the owner will have to take the puppy out a couple times over the course of the night as well.

If you’ve done all the homework, worked out the math, and have your heart set on giving on puppy, look into all available options. Shelters are constantly full of animals looking for homes. An adopted dog may already be potty trained, house broken, and familiar with children and/or other pets. In addition, most have already had their vaccinations. Giving one of these animals a loving home for Christmas is a big decision that should be considered before you rush into it.

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Tim is a dog lover and marketer for Cabledeals.org. He has two black labs that he walks twice a day. He is very passionate about training dogs to be good companion while being the pack leader. He can be found on Twitter @TimLCooley or walking around town training his pups!.

Approximately 3.5 million people in the United States are homeless. This includes both those who are chronically homeless, and those who are temporarily homeless due to events like losing a job or a home foreclosure. Somewhere between 10 and 15 percent of those 3.5 million people aren’t on the streets alone, but with their pets.

How does this happen? Someone may already own a pet when they’re evicted from their home, and they don’t want to give the animal up, so they keep it, even as they sleep in tents or doorways. Or, someone who is homeless may come upon a stray animal, and decide to take care of it. That a person without a home or money to buy food would take on the care of a pet is a testament to the bond people have with their pets, and to how having a pet can have a positive effect on a person’s emotional and mental state. But homeless pets are still in danger.

Why This is a Problem

In some ways, this can be seen as a good thing. Better for someone—even someone without a home—to be looking after an animal than that animal running free where it can possibly be run over, or starve to death. The thing is, because a homeless person lacks the financial ability to properly care for a pet, there is still a danger of disease. Someone living on the street can’t afford pet meds, even common ones like flea and tick treatments or heartworm preventatives.

All it takes for a dog to get heartworm is being bitten by a mosquito carrying them. Without the proper medication, any dog living outside is vulnerable. In addition, a homeless person cannot pay to have an animal spayed or neutered, so there’s an additional risk of the homeless pet contributing to the already staggering dog and cat overpopulation problem.

How You Can Help

Because pets are seen as property, it’s not possible to simply seize an animal from a homeless person if there’s no indication of actual abuse. The truth is, most homeless people try very hard to care for their pets, sometimes using their last bit of money not to buy food for themselves, but for their pets.

Instead, you can help by donating food and supplies to help these people care for their pets until they are in a position to do so on their own. Organizations like Pets of the Homeless have set up collection points across the country to accept donations of food, treats, flea and tick treatments, leashes, and collars. Some homeless shelters and soup kitchens will sometimes also accept donations of pet food, but be sure to call and ask before simply dropping something off that may not be distributed.

By donating through a recognized and participating organization, you can be sure that your contribution will go to help the animals—and their owners—who so desperately need it. And you’ll have improved not just one life, but two.

Note from the Editor: If you’re in Austin, Texas and looking for help for either you or someone you know, Animal Trustees of Austin offers free services to homeless people and their pets. They are located on IH35 and 51st Street. Check their website or grab a card from their office!

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About the Author: Caroline Ruddy is a freelance writer finally pursuing her dream of being published. She loves books and movies, especially when they include a furry friend napping on her lap. Want to write for ILRA? We’d love to here from you – find out what you can do to help!

If you can’t see the above video, click here to view it on YouTube.

Hey all! Sorry for the lack of content last week but we were super stressed with sick animals. I’m sure you can all relate. Anyway, we’re back this week with our newest Pet Parent File on colitis in cats. Our boy, Zane, had a bout with this back in June and we would like to share this experience with you since it was hard to find much information on what his symptoms could mean. We hope this helps you feel more informed should you experience the same problem. Please watch the video and then, if you’d like, you can look inside the cut to see litter box pictures to better understand what I’m talking about. Gross, yes, but I would much rather have you be informed than be frantically searching the internet at 2 in the morning and finding nothing.

Click here to see the Photos.

Remember, the point of our Pet Parent Files series is to help grow the base of knowledge pet parents have access to on how to properly care for their kids. So please, please comment and share any advice you have on the subject, ask any questions you have or even make your own video and post it as a response to ours!

Disclaimer: Pet Parent Files are meant to be anecdotal in nature and do not in any way serve as a diagnosis or professional opinion. Please always consult your vet when a pet is sick.

Hey all! This week’s Pet Parent File gives advice on what to do when you find a baby bird. What prompted this video was me finding a baby dove in the yard at a house I was petsitting at and not really knowing what to do. The video I posted on that day, which also has some tips on setting up a new nest for baby birds, can be found below. I hope you enjoy them both! Also, if you have more advice to add, please comment below or, better yet, make your own video & upload it as a response to ours then tell us where to find it! Let’s grow our knowledge base together!

We here at ILRA are extremely excited about this new project and we hope that you will join in and help it grow! Together, we can build a huge database of knowledge and help both animals and those that care for them. Let’s do it!