October Adopt a Dog Month-Consider Adopting for an Early Christmas Gift

For some parents, giving their kids a puppy, kitten, dog or cat for Christmas is the best gift they could give them. But the end of December isn't usually the best time to housebreak a new puppy and holiday activities and traveling isn't the best time to bond with a new dog or cat. It's a confusing time of the year for a new pet who has been thrown into all the hustle and bustle the holidays present. October is adopt a dog month and it's the perfect time to surprise the kids or anyone else who has a pet on their Christmas wish list with an early Christmas gift.

Millions of dogs and cats around the country are in shelters for a variety of reasons. Many dogs are turned over to shelters because their owner didn't take the time to make sure the dog was a good fit for their family. The dog may have developed behavioral problems the owner couldn't deal with or a loving family had to give up their pet for reasons beyond their control. Some pets who were given as Christmas gifts last year are now living in a shelter for no other reason than an impulse Christmas gift given to a friend or family member who wasn't ready for a pet or who didn't really want one in the first place.

Adopt a dog month is a nationwide campaign every year to encourage people to consider adopting a dog or cat, kitten or puppy, from a shelter during the month of October. If you have a friend you know would love to have a pet or if you've decided your kids are old enough for a pet, October is the perfect time of year to adopt a dog from your local shelter to give as an early Christmas gift.

When you adopt a dog or puppy while the weather is still fairly warm, it's much easier to housebreak a puppy and get into a routine with your dog with walks and feeding schedules. The dog or cat has time to adjust to a new family and their routine before the Christmas season begins with all the distractions of family activities and friends dropping in to wish you a Merry Christmas. By adopting a dog or cat in October, you have time to get to know them before company fills your home during the holidays. In other words, a new puppy, kitten, dog or cat isn't lost in the crowd of happy well wishers.

A dog or cat who has been given as a Christmas gift can easily slip through a door as company arrives, especially for a family who just got their first pet. Once outside in an environment they aren't accustomed to, the pet can quickly become lost. If you're a first time pet owner with a new pet in the home, it could be hours before anyone notices the dog or cat is missing. That's why adopt a dog month is the best time to give a dog or cat to the animal lover in your life.

It doesn't take long to train a dog or puppy to behave. The more time you spend with them, the faster bonding takes place and the better you know them as individual beings. By the time Christmas rolls around, you know how your pet will react to people coming and going and whether or not you need to confine them over the holidays to keep them safe.

Dogs and cats quickly settle into a routine and with a dedicated commitment to training basic commands to a dog or puppy, they can learn how to sit, stay, stay down and come when called in no time at all. The advantage of adopting a dog from a shelter is you have a wide variety of pets to choose from. Puppies, kittens, dogs, cats and even purebred dogs or cats end up in shelters and they all deserve a family or individual who will love them as unconditionally as they love us. Adult dogs are usually already housebroken and some have been trained by their previous owners. Their shots are up to date and most will have been neutered or spayed.

For some people, getting a dog or cat for a Christmas gift is the best present they will get. But before giving a pet, make sure the person receiving the gift wants one and is ready to care for the pet. You can adopt a dog for someone as a Christmas gift and let them pick out which dog they would like and October is a much better month to adopt a dog to give as a gift then December is.

Anytime you bring a new pet into your life, or that of someone else, it's important to make sure the dog is the right fit for whoever is receiving him/her, especially one with small children. Pets are for a lifetime and should never be given because you saw a cute little puppy or kitten in the window. Giving a pet as a Christmas gift makes the holidays perfect for kids or anyone else who wants a puppy or kitten for Christmas and when you adopt a dog or cat from a shelter, you are giving your loved one a special gift and giving a homeless pet the gift of life. October is the perfect time to do both and it gives your kids and a new pet adequate time to bond before the holidays roll around with all of the distractions of the season.

Why Adopt, by nature

October is Adopt-A-Dog Month, American Humane Association

National Adopt A Shelter Dog Month, DogHobbist