A puppy or kitten for a Christmas present?
Holiday season is around the corner! Some people are probably already starting to dream of the package under the Christmas tree. Did your son or daughter perhaps dream of a puppy or a kitten? Well, buying an animal should certainly not be an impulse purchase!
Buying an animal, whether it is a pony, a puppy or a kitten, costs money and requires daily attention and care. Santa Claus obviously knows that a puppy or a kitten is a great friend for children and is wonderful to grow up with.
Animal doctor Rob Lükerath gives us some expert advice in Het Nieuwsblad: “Don't just give a young animal as a Christmas present. They really don't deserve to be enthusiastically welcomed into a family, only to be sent to asylum after a few weeks.”
People and children are not sufficiently aware that bringing an animal into their home requires time and attention from them. And this may work for a few weeks, but in the long term people stop giving that animal the necessary care.
Animal shelters are full of dogs, cats and rabbits that are left confused because the owners impulsively bought the animal without giving it much thought.
Are we really not allowed to buy an animal for children?
Once you are sure that you and the children will take good care of the pet, you can proceed with the purchase. Then use the Christmas period to prepare for that purchase together with the family. Look up information, talk to people who already have such a pet, find out what the extra costs are such as food, visits to the vet, etc.
Children can learn a lot from pets, but they need to know the consequences and learn that an animal needs care and love every day for a long period of time.
(SR for Tagtik/Source: Hart voor Dieren - Tagtik - Nieuwsblad/Image by Ilona Krijgsman from Pixabay)