Hi Friends!
My two favorite seasons being Fall and Spring. Fall offers an array of beautiful colors and relief from the sweltering heat. Spring offers a rebirth of flora and fauna after a long dormant Winter. I must confess that the older I become the more I find myself complaining about the weather. November is a month clearly revealing to us that the frigid cold Winter season is lurking right around the corner.
Every minute we are able to take a breath is a moment to give thanks. November is a month set aside as a reminder to appreciate the many blessings we are given. As I am a sentimental man, I treat my relationships as sacred and consider far more important than anything else. For example, I view Dudley, my Yellow-Nape Amazon Parrot as a gift from above. I welcomed Dudley into my home on November 3, 1992. It was a day I will never forget. Not just because it happened to be our National Election Day. That particular day was all about Dudley and that day was Thanksgiving Day as far as I am concerned.
This year, Nov. 28 is Thanksgiving and the first full day of the
eight-day Jewish festival of lights, which begins at sundown the
previous night.
For many Jewish Americans, this is no trivial convergence, but a
once-in-an-eternity opportunity to simultaneously celebrate two favorite
holidays, one quintessentially American, the other quintessentially
Jewish.
Regardless of your faith or religion, Christian, Jewish or other, families throughout the country are preparing for a special time of year. For me, it is reflecting on a childhood always anxiously anticipating opening up gifts, the beautifully decorated Christmas tree and most importantly being with family.
In my family we celebrated baby Jesus in a manger. For now, I want to set everything aside to share with you the gifting of animals during Christmas and the Holiday Season. Without question, there are not a lot of things cuter than a baby puppy or kitten,
except for maybe a tiny furball leaping after wrapping paper on
Christmas morning as the children squeal and clap with delight at their
new living present. That’s right -- a puppy for Christmas!
Last year, a good friend of mine gave her teenage son a
sweet little pug puppy for Christmas. The photos on Instagram and
Facebook were completely precious, and it’s obvious the entire family is
in love with this ridiculously adorable little girl.
But isn’t gifting animals for holidays a bad idea? How many abandoned chicks and bunnies at Easter, black cats at Halloween, and puppies at Christmas do we have to hear about before people will stop doing this?
Before we jump all over someone’s case for buying their kid a pet for
Christmas -- let’s remember that every situation is unique, and
sometimes a puppy as a present is a great idea. It all comes down to the
motivation.
It is never ok to buy a pet on a whim. Ok, maybe a
beta fish. But that’s it! Then you find yourself walking by the pet
store in the mall while you’re Christmas shopping, the sweetest set of
brown eyes accompanied with the most adorable little pink tongue catches
your eye. It looks so cooped up there in that pet shop kennel …
couldn’t we just take him home? We’d be rescuing him, and the kids will
love him, and it’s Christmas! Try to remember that by buying from a pet store, you’re probably helping to fund cruel puppy mills. Then keep walking.
Unless you’ve worked it out in advance with the parents after careful consideration and planning, never ever buy a pet as a gift for another family.
Beta fish included. And even then, this scenario might only be
appropriate if you’re a relative or very close family friend that a)
breeds dogs responsibly yourself, and you’re gifting one of the litter,
or b) have bonded with the children over your own dog, and now with mom
and dad’s permission, are presenting them with their very own snuggle
puppy. Otherwise -- just no.
The only time puppies or other pets make wonderful, perfect Christmas gifts is when you’ve already made the big decision to adopt a pet,
and Christmas provides the opportunity to make it a ‘present.’ That’s
what happened in my friends’ case. They had a pug they loved that died
of old age last year after a long, happy life. The decision to add to
the family again was made carefully, and it just happens that they
decided to wait until Christmas to make it happen.
That’s responsible pet parenting.
Have you ever given or been given a live gift?
Please feel free to share your experiences. I always welcome your input and feedback is always appreciated.
Wishing you and your families a blessed Thanksgiving and Holiday Season!
Warmly,
Paul
Paul F. Flotron
Creature Comforts Great & Small, LLC
"Giving your creatures the comfort they deserve"
www.CreatureComfortsGreatnSmall.com
314-200-8561
Cell: 314-775-7107
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