Well yet again its already started. We have had phone calls asking if we can board a new puppy given as a present for christmas, and the new owners are going on holiday so the pup not having time to settle into a new home is "shoved"out of the way.

I suppose the new year will see again any number of unwanted pups turning up in the rescue organisations. Can I please ask that anyone contemplating getting a puppy wait till at least the middle of January before looking around.

Yep, it's the time of the year again, when people 'out' their oldies to make way for a new puppy or because the oldie will be "in the way" :-(

Incidently, 'dog needs new home' posts are prohibited under the forum Terms of Service:

"Posts which reference puppies for sale, proposed litters, adult dogs for sale,dogs for rehoming, rescue dogs and stud dogs for hire will be removed, even if posted in response to a visitors question. Please reply privately to such queries"

So please do not reply to these posts unless they are asking for breed rescue information, as they will be removed as soon as they are spotted.

:(

...and it's not just that people buy cute puppies for Christmas despite years and years of A dog is for life type campains - but a big problem especially with large/giant breeds are the families that need to make extra room for visiting friends and so off load the dog for Christmas:( Charming aye!
Jackie

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you there Jackie :(
When I have my soiree after christmas my dog will be going into a kennel for the night -I dont have outside kenneling -and with the extra people ,food, drinks ,glasses, children ,noise and general disruption then for me that is the most sensible solution all round and the least distressing for the dog .
I love my dog ( most days :D ) but a busy party is not the place for him :)
Liz

Steve..I don't think I made myself clear enough ( not unusual I know:) I am talking about the families that decide to off load their pet - for life so to speak - not just for Christmas My local Great Dane charity is taking at least 1 dog a day now and has been for the last 6 weeks. Every Christmas is the same I'm told :(
Jackie

Sorry , wrong end of the bone:D ( thought you just meant over night etc )
Liz :)

This is why we breeders don't like selling pups just before Christmas....... I have 3 going to new homes next week but the new owners have had the pups booked for 8 months now and they have no plans for Christmas, only them and their pup. People who have booked the other pups recently have been told they can take them home 2nd week in January.

Donna

I can understand about the puppies completley -we got ours last year in between christmas and new year ( not a present it just fell like that )and we didn't budge an inch over new year .
An older dog is a different matter though surely ?

I have just seen an ad in Loot for Pomeranian puppies that say "would be ideal Xmas presents" I wish that Loot would remove such offending comments from their pet ads

I agree Ashanie...Breeder and paper alike should be ashamed of themselves :(

Not too sure Steve,
if an older dog is being re-homed - it needs just as much time and care as a pup as it is a new environment, I wouldn't re-home an older dog (like the pups) unless I was satisfied that the new owners were having a quiet Christmas - allowing the new dog to settle.

Donna

hiya Donna --wrong end of the bone again ;)
I thought Jackie was refering to people kenneling dogs over xmas -which she wasn't !
An adult dog being rehomed does need the same amount of time and attention as a pup -yes I agree
completly crossed wires :)
Liz

Can I come back in and say it's suprising how when starting a topic the string following leads to different aspects. In this case started by myself about buy and selling puppies as presents over the Christmas/New Year Period.
If it makes people think about dogs and Christmas/New year and new homes for whatever reason then so much the better.
Thanks for your views and have a Happy Christmas and New Year

I too have pups going this week but like the previous poster mine have been reserved for months and months by their new owners.They are not going for Xmas pressies and all but one are going to homes where they will be the only dog.All the new owners were given the option to leave the pups with me until after Xmas if they had made plans to have a party,go away, or any other reason they may have.I did think long and hard about letting them go but at the end of the day it's not the buyers fault that they are ready now it's just bad timingI don't consider myself to be a bad breeder because of this and I am certain that all my pups are going to kind and loving people that will care for them for life.

I think it's a combination of the breeder/buyer etc - if you're comfortable with the situation the dog is going to and the reasons for getting the dog at that time then I don't see a problem. I know a couple of years back hubby and I both had 2 full weeks off around Christmas/New Year, so forget the fact that it was a holiday - that would have been a good time for us to get the dog socialised (we don't do holiday parties etc....) if we'd decided to get a puppy. We didn't, but that's just one example of a family that might have been okay in some breeders eyes. I don't see a problem with your situation and yours going to homes now:)

Wendy