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QUESTION: In your opinion, should pets ever be given as gifts for holidays such as Christmas or Easter?
Talk about it….
9 comments
Don’t give your kid a big poisonous snake for Christmas. No rabbits either unless you want to eat it in a few months if it is still alive.
I Wouldn’t give a pet to a young child, and now that I think about it, I wouldn’t give one to an older child either. Kids, no matter what age, will promise to care for it, but in the end, it’s mommy and daddy that will end up caring for it. I probably wouldn’t give one to an adult either. Pets are living creatures, with feelings, intelligence, and emotions. They deserve love, and respect. A good home, where they will be well cared for, and an owner who’s not afraid to spend the money it takes to feed them quality, nutritious pet food found in pet stores, and not the cheap pet foods found in grocery stores. When an adult want’s a pet, they can shop for one and decide for themselves which one they want. If I want to give it to them as a gift, I will pay for it, as long as I’m certain the pet will be properly cared for.
This is an “It depends” type question……
Yes it’s often parents that have to step in to help care for a child’s pet. My daughter had a cat growing up and did as well. She was pretty responsible and l didn’t mind stepping in when she was gone. She wanted a rat, but l said no, she didn’t need another animal in a cage. As a grown up she has had a dog and a cat, now she has 2 cats
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Depends.
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There is no “correct” answer. Every situation is unique.
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Pets should be a family decision and a family commitment. All “gifting” does is make it easier to “return” the animal. It’s not fair to either the animal or the person to make a surprise of a lifelong expense and emotional commitment.
Put a blindfold on them and drive to the local rescue as a surprise, or do all the legwork for the animal you think they want, but let the recipient make the final life-altering decision.
Sure. Buy two goldfish tanks and half a dozen goldfish. Give the child one tank and one fish and keep the others in the garage. Periodically give the dead one a “burial at sea” and add a new one to the tank while little Ralph is asleep. A year or so later graduate to hamsters.
I think a pet (mainly a dog) is a fantastic gift for kids. No, they will not take care of it in most cases, but, watching the child grow with, in this case, a pup is just fantastic. Definitely rough times when the animal gets sick, or dies, but that is all part of life as well. My kids and their dog, just fantastic. Had rabbits too, nice pets, but not as good as a pup.
Pets and children are mostly a wonderful mix – but add the excitement of Christmas, extended family, lots of activity, and it may be overwhelming for the new pet.
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