For shelters and rescues, often January means a full house. We've all heard the saying, "a dog is for life, not just for Christmas", but sadly, not everyone lives by that promise. Once the glow of the Christmas puppy fades, often these precious gifts become unwanted house guests by the time the Christmas tree is taken down. Puppies do not have off switches and cannot be tossed aside like an unwanted toy once the novelty wears off. Research shows that almost half of the dogs purchased during the Christmas season end up in shelters, and those are the lucky ones. Countless others are turned out to fend for themselves!
Reputable breeders do not coincide available litters for the Christmas season – puppy mills have no such ethics. If you have purchased your puppy from a pet store, be aware that it is straight from a puppy mill. Please see Rosco’s story below and let it serve as a reminder of how not to treat your new family member…………….
On the first month after Christmas, the new puppy, now named Rosco, is like the second coming! Oooohs and aaahhhs abound and then later, everyone starts a little fuss over who's cleaning up after it while the newest XBotWiiii3.4Zoom is being played over and over.
The second month after Christmas is filled with "he's so cute" and "let me hold him". Then it's "I'll take him out in a minute". As the days dwindle, the electronic wonders are still affixed to the kids' hands and with a sigh, you say, I'll take care of him just this one more time and that's it.
The third and fourth months after Christmas and the kids are hanging out with their friends, doing homework, texting and whirling in and out the door without a care in the world except for how cool they look. The puppy is getting bigger and while he wants to play, he is pushed away and he goes to his spot as he's commanded. Again, he's stuck with the company of his two squeaky toys and chew bone.
By the fifth and sixth month, Rosco is still having accidents and chews on the furniture because he's bored. No one has time for him. He is yelled at for peeing in the house, but everyone is gone all day and he aches to go outside so he can be good, but where is everybody? His chew bone is a nub and his toys are in shreds and there’s nothing for him to do.
Here come the seventh and eighth months and wow, you cannot believe how big this dog is getting. The pet store said he'd be only 25 pounds at the most, but he's up to 30 and not full grown yet! The hair on the furniture is an everyday annoyance. So Rosco's going outside on a chain, but with eyes that would melt anyone's heart except his own family's. He wonders what happened and why he can't be in the house anymore.
Well, Rosco is 9 months old and now the kids are back in school. The dog liked them playing in the yard over the summer, but now they are gone all day. If he could tell them, he would plead, "Oh wait, here you are! You’re home! Come here...come here...come here...can't you see me? Can't you hear my joyous bark?"
It's October and the air is getting cool again. Mom and Dad talk about "the dog" being outside when the cold weather comes and needing to fix up his house and keep it filled with hay. The dog has become a burden to them. If only the kids would have kept their promises.
It's the eleventh month after Christmas and the dog's water bowl is frozen. Who's going to go out and get the dog some fresh water and fill his bowl with some food? Silence. Begrudgingly someone goes and with resentment, because it's cold and the dog is more work than he's worth. The wagging tail means nothing. The happy squeals to see someone from the family go unheard.
The twelfth month after Christmas and the holiday whirlwind begins again. The list of presents to be bought is long. The kids are getting excited and so are Mom and Dad. They anticipate how their eyes will light up this year.
Rosco is now in a shelter. He waits for his family. He doesn't see them ever again.
This is a story with a happy ending. Rosco is a young, purebred dog who has a big chance of being adopted. There are many purebreds in rescue groups like HART. Responsible rescues will wait till Christmas is over to adopt him out to a loving family who is the perfect fit for him. His new name will be Chance because his new family said their dog died recently and he is their second Chance. Little do they know it's the second chance for Rosco, too.
