A Pet Is For Life Not Just For Christmas, Things To Consider
16th November 2010
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We have all heard the slogan 'A Dog is For Life, Not Just For Christmas' we all nod in agreement. in fact this slogan applies to any pet that we may purchase. Buying a pet is a real commitment that takes time, money and patience.
This famous slogan was created by Clarissa Baldwin, Chief Executive of the DogsTrust in 1978 but is still as relevant today. The trust have a longstanding campaign to raise the awareness of the potential consequences when pets in particular dogs are purchased as gifts.
We have all been there either as children ourselves, I remember begging my parents to buy a dog, or as adults now the ones getting pounded by our children wanting something cute for christmas.
So if you are considering a purchasing a pet for a gift for christmas or any other occasion, here are some things to consider
- Can I make a lifelong commitment to a pet
- Is my home big enough/secure enough for a pet?
- Do I have the time to commit for cleaning, socialising, training etc
- Are we out at work all day and do we like holidays? What then?
- What type of environment is suited to my pet, eg children, families, single person
Christmas is a time when our pets can cause some level of difficulty and its always better to plan early and plan ahead and decide what if any action needs to be taken over the festive period.
Consider if you will be going away and whether you need to make provision for your pet, do you need to book into kennels or a cattery, Bolton has a great selection to choose from. If you are planning on taking your pet away with you, is your pet used to travelling and you may need to think about the journey carefully to allow for more stops than usual.
Once you are at your destination, what about your pet then. It will be in strange surroundings so again you will need to think about what you take with you so that your pet feels safe and secure with something familiar from home.
More information about traveling with your pet can be found on the Pets and
Travel Website
Finally at Chrismtas it can be tempting to give our pets extra treats that we would not normally consider giving. We are lulled in by the feeling that our pets may feel left out of the celebrations if we dont share our festivities with them.
Christmas Pet Safety have some great advice about what we should and shouldn't give to our pets during the festivities.
