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Yo Ho Ho!! |
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When did it happen that
Christmas decorations started being marketed before Halloween? Maybe I haven’t be observing but, there
they are and it follows that people will begin to make Christmas lists of
presents for those near and far. If a puppy happens to be
something you are considering please do read on. IF there could be a worse time to add a
puppy to a household I would really love to know when that is. Ah – does that burst your bubble? Do you have wonderful thoughts of sweet
Little Johnie wiping sleep from his eyes and saying
– Oh! A puppy!!! For me?
To take the scene a bit
farther, L.J. sweeps the pup up into his arms and there is a lot of oohing and ahhing about
Snuffles. Snuffles
definitely cooperates with wiggles, puppy kisses and they all lived
happily ever after. Or – did they? Puppies, at the proper age
for separation from mom and siblings, find those first several days and
nights away from the only life they know a horrific time! Instead of a nice warm mom and some furry
sisters and brothers who, by now, know all the rules of play, food sharing,
rough-housing, etc, , Snuffles finds herself
schlepped around several feet off the ground,
(really scary for a pup), sometimes squeezed too hard (no one even
noticed!), passed from person to person (all or probably nearly all!) totally
unknown to her, and it goes downhill from there! Once the oohing and ahhing has ended it
is clearly time to get down to all those other presents gaining importance by
the moment. So – what to do with
Snuffles? Oh – isn’t she cute playing
with the wrappings and ribbons? Snuffles is now on her own! Fast forward. What is that awful red “stuff” on Snuffles
face? Is she bleeding? What could she have cut herself on? OH – she was eating ribbons from the
packages! No big deal. Really?
Well – maybe yes and maybe no.
Puppies did not come into this world with a digestive system that
permits them to eat Christmas wrappings, so frankly I would begin to be
concerned about the ribbons, broken ornaments, carelessly handled paper
napkins tossed into the wastebasket from last evening’s fiesta, the
wonderfully curious cord that goes from the tree lights to the electrical
outlet……. Ok. Snuffles has lived
through package opening. Great. Did anyone think to take
her outside to potty? Oops! Guess not or there wouldn’t be that stinky
mess right on top of my brand new sweater.
Hmmm. It was stinky and
particularly messy because no one planned any lessons for the people so that
they would not give inappropriate treats (Look! She loves my …..). Where is her water
dish? Water dish? Remember?
I told YOU to get her a water dish?
Well – where is it? Next scene. A few days later. It is Christmas vacation, after all, and
there are all those invitations, fun things to do and off we go. Snuffles?
See ya later, pup. Snuffles is now left to
wander and finds all these neat Holiday wonders to investigate and lots serve
really well to pass this oh-so-boring time.
Too bad that said items of her choice were not meant to be puppy chew
toys! Anything plastic is
fabulous. Soft does just as well. Feel free to add items that fall in
between. Snuffles is
not all that particular. But damage from the new pup
is really quite minimal, all things considered, and then IT happens. January 2.
Here is Snuffles: There has been a week of near constant activity,
chew toys everywhere, almost every minute someone to hold her, cuddle her, give her totally inappropriate treats – and – BAM! They all disappear! No littermates. No mom.
No holding every minute!!!! No nothin’! Color the sofa pillows
gone. Ditto the remote for the
TV. Reading glasses? Yup – same scenario. Bad pup?
NO!! Puppies are “forever” – not
for Christmas. Pups deserve planning,
concern about THEIR needs, preparation to prevent disasters that either
injure them or destroy valuable or precious personal belongings of their
people and lots and lots more. Any child (or adult!) needs
to be educated to understand this pup commitment and responsibility. So- what to do? Your Christmas tree can have cleverly
worded cards and Christmas tree ornaments that lead the
new-soon-to-be-pup-owner down a discovery path and each step of the way can
have some fun or useful treasure that will make the new pup’s ultimate
arrival one of great joy and a happy outcome.
There are: puppy toys, collars, leashes (yes – there
could be more than one for various training experiences), food dishes,
enrollment in a puppy class, a puppy training video, books about training and
the breed (if it is “a” breed and if not there is a book about that pup
also!), a card that says when the pup can be visited as a next step in coming
home, a crate, an invitation to participate in a big prize for the best name,
and lots more! Is it the same as a pup
under the tree? Of course not! But neither does the person (child or
adult) begin the major commitment of dealing with a pup on such tenuous terms
as with the glitter of a Christmas tree.
Christmas trees are for Holiday Season. Puppies are for their whole lives. M |