The festive season is upon us, the time where we spread the festive cheers with the ones we love with gifts. While items like wine, toys, and chocolates make for excellent gifts, here is one item that you should never give as a gift: pets.
Giving a dog as a present is never a good idea. There are a few reasons why.
Lifestyle
Every person has a different lifestyle. And different breeds of dogs suit different lifestyles better. For example, German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers are better suited for an active family, while Poodles and Malteses are better for those who prefer to lounge around the house.
Another thing you need to consider is whether the recipient has the time or energy to look after a dog. Regardless of the breed, all dogs will require some form of exercise on a daily basis. The recipient may not have the time or energy for physical activities. For some people, dogs can also be too much of a commitment for their busy lives. The time required for dog training, playtimes, and exercising may be too much for someone who is already busy.
Different dog breeds suit different lifestyles.
Training
A well behaved dog is a well trained dog. However, if they are a first time dog owner and have not yet learned how to care for a dog, it can lead to the dog being poorly trained. Furthermore, if the dog doesn’t respond well in training, the owner may end up frustrated and not training the dog altogether. This can even cause the new owner to resent the dog and ignore it for long periods of time. Furthermore, it takes a lot of money, time, and patience to properly train your dog. This may cause the recipient to forget training the dog altogether.
Training is a very expensive and time consuming process.
Expensive
When getting a pet, there are two different types of costs: upfront and ongoing. While you might be thinking you’re doing your friend a favor by removing the dog’s upfront cost, the majority of a dog’s costs is the ongoing cost. Food, toys, and insurance are all ongoing expenses that the new owner will have to pay for. Money which the new owner may not have.
Allergies
Have you ever considered whether the recipient has any allergies? While only 10% to 20% of the human population are allergic to cats and/or dogs, the new owner/s might be one of the unlucky few. You can end up making their life miserable if they are forced to live with something they’re allergic to. This could cause them to leave their pets outside the majority of the time, neglect their pets, or abandon their pets entirely.
So don’t ever give a pet as a present to someone else for Christmas, a birthday, or any other occasion.
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