Today Sat outside a Spar shop, I meet a couple with three young children and they had a tiny and I do mean tiny little Lab puppy with them he was according to the man a little over 6 weeks old, he was a Christmas present for the children who from what I could see were "bored" already. The pup was walking and the man said the woman he got it from had said he didn't need to be inoculated because his Mom had been inoculated and having her milk had protected him!

What can you do, I can't go round taking every pup because I don't like the look of the people or the reasons they got the pup.

Christmas and the darned stupid people that sell the pups.

Karen      

No you cant adopt every pup you feel is getting a less than ideal start in life and its heartbreaking to see. You do your bit to help out Karen, look at the rottie owners you helped earlier this year. If everybody did a little bit it would be much better for us all. Remember Morses pal? We have got in contact again and found his owners are very busy socialising and have little time for him. Experienced dog owners are trying to help him but his owners put a good face on it and refuse to see theres a problem. Theres nothing I can do and if I push it theyll break contact as they have with everyone else.

listen to this the women next door came into my house xmas eve and asked my mom to go into her house she had a little shih tzu pup and she asked mam did she want to buy it for me for christmas she then said bring georgina into see the pup and mam said no because i would get to upset if i say the pup anyway mam came back in to tell my dad and told me of course i was disgusted because pups should not be sold at xmas especially xmas eve anyway turns out the womens friend a so called breeder was trying to get rid of three pups and she knew that i was getting a pup in the summer .so dad said look just go in and see the pup
i went into see the pup and he is absolutley beautiful all black with some brown markings on his muzzle and she paid the E150 and he is even kc reg (sure) the breeder told her to put him in the dhed so she wouldnt have to hear him crying  so when she told me i said she could have a loan of my travel cage because i dont need it till next year and i said he will freeze to death if you put him outside thankfully she listened to me and it turns out he dident even cry that night .since then this pup has ben left on his own all day until 12 at night poor baby ...
and to make it even worse he will be on his own after xmas to because herself and hubby work all day and dont get home till 10 . .

and unfortunately stories like these are ten a penny.....  :(
Why are some people so horrible???

Probably because the majority of them are stupid :(

While there's a demand for puppies at christmas there'll be 'breeders' who will supply them. I think maybe the kennel club could do something but whether they have the time, money or inclination is another thing :rolleyes:

I don't regret getting Dizzy at all but I know it would have been a lot easier for us to wait until after the holidays... my poor kids must be sick of me telling them to pick stuff up in case Dizzy eats it - lol!

Hello Wishfairy, I agree about breeding and selling puppies FOR Christmas, but please don't condemn everyone who HAS puppies at Christmas. No one wants it to happen but nature doesn't always co-operate. My litter was ready to go the week before Christmas but all were booked before they were born, none was sent to the hurly burly of a busy family celebration and I promise you that none went as thoughtless Christmas presents.

Along the same lines I almost lost the first bitch of my chosen breed. :) I'd been researching for a couple of years and when I finally chose the litter I wanted my pup from it happened to be ready at Christmas. I'd already been in contact the breeder of course, but because of the timing the pup was to be my 'Christmas present' then?. So hubbie was left to ring up and arrange collection. And the idiot 'phoned and said something to the effect of "When can we come and get the wife's Christmas present?" At which the very ethical breeder exploded in glorious technicolour. Some fast explanation later, I got my pup, the breeder was an excellent mentor and is still a good friend. But hubbie got fleas in each ear from both of us! ;)

I know what you're saying as Dizzy was my christmas pressie. I hadn't planned on getting her until next year but emailed a breeder for some general advise on owning and showing a dane - her reply was basically 'I have one you can take but I need to know in 2 days'. Needless to say I spent 2 days in complete confusion but decided to risk it and take the pup.

I had expected the 3rd degree, a waiting list and to have to travel very far to get her but instead we swapped a couple of emails (with me asking all the questions) and she was delivered to the ferry port the following week. I didn't see the parents, the kennels or know enough about the lines but took her anyway. We did everything wrong but still ended up with an adorable puppy - only time will tell if she is show standard or not. :)

Wishfairy I spent months researching breeders and checking out the "dogs" I prefered and then spent as many months talking to my breeder, meeting at shows swopping photo's and seeing his other dogs etc. Then I got Sal.............only time can tell which is the right way but maybe both are........ :)

Karen  

I was grilled like mad by people in staff rescue etc, when I was looking for my 1st dog, one even said no to me because I was a VN!!!! shift work seemed to be a nono! But then it was in the heyday of the godforsaken DDA, so I guess they were extra wary!
I finally found my bitch from going around the shows and asking about.
Getting my male was a bit of luck, a conversation with Nancy Malec of Yankeestaff, put me in touch with Verbals breeder, His litter was not advertised, and all the pups went by word of mouth, to knowledgable homes.
Ive yet to breed a litter, but I would never do so unless I had more homes lined up than pups ( in theory!), and I certainly would NOT advertise my stock. thye would go to known people who know the breed!
Puppy peddlers are the scum of the earth, and it drives me to distraction that people will still put money in their pockets, particually at this time of year, with no thought whatsoever!

Hi Staffmad
I think everyone should be grilled anyway- regardless of breed - (although I know Staff rescues have to wheedle out other sorts of idiot owners because of the nature of the breed.) :(
I've said time and time again its much to easy to be able to get a dog. Any fool without an inkling of the breed can take home a pup without having any idea what it eats, what the nature of the breed is, how much exercise it needs and then a few months down the line they automatically assume they are breeders!!

Agreed! i have no problem with being grilled, I was glad to be! better that than they send out dogs to any Tom Dick or Harry that does not have a clue about the breed!

unfortunatly, these people dont only sell to idiots at christmas, theyll do the same again in the summer! (ive got a lil westie here now to prove it lol)

As ive said before its the bloody breeders to blame for these christmas pups, everyone finds pups cute and if someones thinking of getting one you can see why christmas seems a good suprise.
plz Dont judge a book by its cover alot of these christmas pup buyers are probably going to love alot of these pups like normal,yes there are people who wont but breeders know when they sell a pup if the person is right for there pup ,and the breeder should make sure to ask alot of questions , i was with my first dog , even my last breeder asked to see a pic of my cocker that passed away.its just the breeders who dont care, where they just want ££ are causing this problem. mabe true breeders should put there prices up this time of year the people who wont care , will just get the cheapest dog possible.
if i were you i would have asked where they got there cute pup from then  inform them that all pups need jabs , say these are honist people and just dont know a great deal about pups then its the breeders job to inform them how best to look after them.im thinking puppy farm here!

Lovelylady, it's not the 'bloody breeders' who are to blame (though they bear 50% of it) it's more the 'bloody buyers' who want a puppy now!

why would  a responsible breeder put pups on the ground at xmas time?

Unfortunately with bitches cycling only twice a year or often less sometimes litters will be born around thisd time.  Most reputable breeders will hold the puppies back until after Christmas though, unless they are sure that the new owners are going to have a very quiet time with just the pup.

Twice now I've got a pup right before Christmas.  It's always been the best time for me because I am off work the longest and can give the pup my full attention.   

Last year it meant I turned down several party invitations, including family, because I did not want to leave my puppy alone.  

It's not Christmas that is the problem - ignorant people buying puppies on impulse is a year round problem.

Stacey

I know the feeling! Working in a vets its that time when all the xmas presents come in for their vaccinations. Its a hard job biting your tongue at times!
Next to come is the glut of old dogs being put down once New Year is out of the way :( happens every year without fail. out with the old in with the new.

Well I must say I got Sal first week in Jan last year and had she been 7 weeks the week before Christmas I would have taken her then :)

She was well planned for and much wanted, and I would have taken her as I know her breeder would have let me too (knowing she would be well cared for) But as it happens she wasn't old enough so she came in Jan :)

I don;t blame the breeders or the new owners but together a "un-aware" breeder and a "new" owner is a receipe for disaster regardless of the time of year it's just you NOTICE the pups more at Christmas

Karen 

Do people really take old dogs to vets after xmas and ask for them to be pts, surely no vet will do this just because the owner asks, does there not have to be a medical reason for doing this.

im afraid they do, but no, we dont put down a dog if it is otherwise healthy if we can help it at all.But..legally, a pet is  considered a possetion, and the owner can do as they like in regards to humane distruction. EG, it is not against the law for a hunt hound to be shot when to old for work, so long as it is done "humanely", and where we as a practice may say no, we wont do that, another may go ahead anyway. 99% of the time, if the pet is rehomeable we do succeed in getting it signed over to us so we can then rehome it.
It is legal for a lay person to euthanase an animal, but not to perform surgical proceedures on it!
Unfortunatly sometimes we are forced into a position wher it may be the best thing for the animal to be pts, else it is abandoned or worse. Most of the time though, it is a case of dogs being hung on till the xmas period is over, and the new dog is in place, then they do the deed. Usually the dog/cat/whatever is in need of Euthanasia, but they dont want to do it untill xmas is over, and a new pup is in place. many of the poor creatues should have been PTS much sooner, but have been dragged out to ease the guilt of a selfish owner!

If you do a search on some rescue sites and read the stories of why and how some dogs end up there you will read of dogs that have taken to be PTS for reasons such as the owers moving abroad or splitting up etc . :(
Why they dont just take them to a rescue home I dont know but some vets do contact resue homes and explain the situation instead of just putting the dog to sleep

(you can ony guess what happens if the rescue centres are full though :(  )

Some owners dont even bother with the vet and the poor things end up thrown out....

I think you are right there, we do notice the pups more at xmas!!! we cant but help thinking what the hell are you doing with a puppy at this hectic time of year! I am totally ok with an experianced owner having a pup in at this time of the year, we would be savvy enough to know what to do, and to keep things "normal" as possible to avoid stressing a pup more than it already is from being taken from the dam. but so many people do get their first pup for the kids at the worst time of year!
When I got my Verbal I took 10 days annual leave off work to get him settled and gradually used to being crated for short periods. that way me returning to work didnt come as a shock to him.

Well, i'm not Christian, neither are my kids.

  Christmas for us is one of the quietest times of the year, however the number of people who had a go at us for having a christmas puppy......    Who the hell are they to simply assume??

  Let's just say sometimes i feel its fair to bite your tongue and learn the facts before going off on one!

Jasmine
I think sometimes people tend to remember the bad stories more ......
No one is condemning everyone with a Christmas puppy ;)

we are discussing the buying of puppies as xmas presents to clarify. of course not everyone celebrates xmas. but many many pups are brought at this time of year for all the wrong reasons, so it is all to easy to raise a cynical eyebrow when they are brought in for their jabs the day after boxing day! it is a case of the majority blackening the names of a few. But I still do not hold with putting puppies on the ground at this time of year. if you have to miss a season, so be it, there will always be another!

I understand totally, i too completely do not agree of puppies as christmas gifts. We have been waiting for a pup for so long it was simply coincidence that we found Bailey at this time.

  But believe me it's extremely hard to remain calm after the tenth person said something about puppies not being xmas presents and all that today.   :(

  Just wish people would allow us to enjoy him rather than assume and give a lecture :(

look if the pups werent on offer at this time then there wouldent be a problem. ive been lookin at the rescue forum some lovely dogs there theres litters of puppys up for adoption and some so young there not ready to go yet. this shows to me that theres a big problem with the people who are breeding christmas puppys wouldent you think? , wont say the forums as ad might not like me to advertise these poor souls  but 98% were mongrals there is only 1 EBT thats 6 months old there , and a greyhound, this means as ive said before people who dont care about dogs and are willing to give them away so easily , are after cheap dogs.only the ocassional pure bred dog is up for adoption as a pup.