Are you suspicious of "pity adoptions"? People who are determined to
"make up for all the abuse they've suffered", even when there often
hasn't been any? Not every animal in a shelter has been abused, and
that attitude can lead to mindless pampering.
OTOH, there are genuine cases and appropriate handling. One of my
favorites is Lexi, a Boxer whose previous owner hit her in the face with
a 2x4, resulting in a permanently malformed jaw. Her present owners
treat her sensibly, and the best handler in the family is the 10yo
daughter. Do you sometimes suspect "dog-sense" is genetic?

"Rocky" wrote in message
...
A local humane society doing it right:
http://www.cochranehumane.ca/index2.htm

Not a lot of details on the web page, but finally someone is
realising that Christmas holiday schedules often make a good
time to adopt.


It IS a good time for a family who was going to adopt anyway.
i did not comment on the recent bitchfest about holiday adoptions on the
corgi list. maybe i will forward this.

"Beth In Alaska" said in
rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

Not a lot of details on the web page, but finally someone
is realising that Christmas holiday schedules often make a
good time to adopt.

It IS a good time for a family who was going to adopt
anyway. i did not comment on the recent bitchfest about
holiday adoptions on the corgi list. maybe i will forward
this.

You should forward it. The conventional thought has almost
always been: No Dogs at Christmas. Thoughtful owners and proper
screening can turn that black hole into a good adoption
opportunity.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

I agree that it _can_ be a good time to adopt.. (if all of the adults in the
household are prepared for it all.. we all know the kids aren't going to be
the ones getting up in the wee hours of the morning to let the new doggy
outside, or make sure it has food and water every morning..no matter how
much they swear to it now..) though i'm not necessarily in favor of the
puppy under the tree...
I, personally, think that it's better to get all the "new puppy gear" under
the tree, then, as a family, go and pick up the new dog together.. either
from the shelter or breeder or whereever you've opted to go through.. most
breeders are willing to hold until the day after Christmas, and i'm sure the
shelter or rescue would agree to do so as well (i do feel research should be
done before hand in deciding what sort of dog to get, so mom and dad can get
the dog all picked out and "held" for the family..)

the problems come when the puppy is gotten cuz it's cute and would be nice..
and no thought is given to the care and exercise requirements it will have
as it grows, or temperment issues, etc..

Davina

I, personally, think that it's better to get all the "new puppy gear"
under the tree, then, as a family, go and pick up the new dog together..

As an adult, I like this idea. As a kid, this would be torture!

When I was younger a friend called me up on Christmas Eve because they got a
dog. The parents were actually going to try to hide it all night and not
let the kids see until morning. The dog, an 8 week old Boxer pup, had
different ideas and made them known. The kids heard the weird noises and
the parents had to bring him out of hiding.

"Davina Stuart" wrote in
:

I, personally, think that it's better to get all the "new puppy
gear" under the tree, then, as a family, go and pick up the new
dog together.. either from the shelter or breeder or whereever
you've opted to go through.

I'm sure that's good advice, but it made me stop in my tracks. Not
only would it be foreign to me, but unthinkable. I've never picked
out a dog. Every dog I've ever owned has just happened. Family?
Not everyone has one of those. Christmas tree? Never had one of
those, either.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

In article ,
Shelly wrote:


I'm sure that's good advice, but it made me stop in my tracks. Not
only would it be foreign to me, but unthinkable. I've never picked
out a dog. Every dog I've ever owned has just happened. Family?
Not everyone has one of those. Christmas tree? Never had one of
those, either.

Which just goes to show that good timing to bring a pet home is a very
individual thing!

I did not, not, not, not need a new puppy, especially one of the spunky
variety, just 25 days before Christmas and just 16 days before my annual
party. INSANITY! Yet, here she is and she gives me an excuse for every
cobweb or smudge!

Now, that's what can happen when you DO plan and choose! Rudy is what
happens when a dog needs rescue 6 days before Christmas (actually, he
needed it 8 days before, but no way was I bringing him home the day
before my party!).

Dogs often show up in our lives when we need them, whether we know we
need them or not.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

"Davina Stuart" said in
rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

I agree that it _can_ be a good time to adopt.. (if all of
the adults in the household are prepared for it all.. we
all know the kids aren't going to be the ones getting up in
the wee hours of the morning to let the new doggy outside,
or make sure it has food and water every morning..no matter
how much they swear to it now..) though i'm not
necessarily in favor of the puppy under the tree...

As I said in another post, regular adoption procedures don't go
out the window. The entire family must come to the shelter, and
pets as gifts are not allowed. The concept is straight-forward:
Many people have a lot of at-home time during this time of year.

Why do shelters shut down at Christmas because someone may try
to get a dog to gift? I'm a big believer in not penalizing
someone because of what someone else may attempt to do.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

Janet said in part.....
Dogs often show up in our lives when we need them, whether we know we
need them or not.
________________________
Janet,
Amen, to that statement. My young dogs that arrived a year apart, have
been a lot of work, but worth every bit of it. We (me and the older
dogs) had become rather sedentary. Since Jubal Early and Jack are here,
I don't stare at Lady and Buck as much and look for things to be wrong,
or wonder how many days they have left?
Oh yeah (and cats).


Be Free.....Judy

"Judith Althouse" wrote in message
...
Janet said in part.....
Dogs often show up in our lives when we need them, whether we know we
need them or not.
________________________
Janet,
Amen, to that statement. My young dogs that arrived a year apart, have
been a lot of work, but worth every bit of it. We (me and the older
dogs) had become rather sedentary. Since Jubal Early and Jack are here,
I don't stare at Lady and Buck as much and look for things to be wrong,
or wonder how many days they have left?
Oh yeah (and cats).


Be Free.....Judy


Oh I agree there too.. all 4 of the dogs we've had since I was married have
more or less just "happened" whenever.. and really only the first one was
even remotely "planned" (well, the newest one was kind of.. though we were
planning on getting one later in the year and were simply doing a
preliminary search to find breeders.. but, as happens.. we found a breeder
who "just happened" to have a special needs pup in need of a good home.. so
he came home with us a lot sooner then we'd figured on....)

and while most of the dogs we had when I was younger were "picked out"
(either from breeder, pet store or pound..) none of them were holiday pets..

anyway, my point had been that if you are giving a dog or cat as a family
holiday present and there are kids and such involved, having it show up
Christmas morning, might not be the best idea, too much going on, and lots
of things likely to get left lying about for it to chew on.. of course, if
there are no kids, not as much hub bub, or all the kids are older and a bit
more responsible, well, situation, and therefore milage may vary some...



Davina