Monday, December 01, 2008
By Terri Jo Ryan
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Love that comes in warm, furry packages is tempting as a holiday gift. But making a present of a pet isn’t fair to the recipient or the animal, according to local animal welfare advocates.
Hollywood romanticizes the giving of living stocking stuffers. And with the latest spate of charming canine movies — this fall’s live-action comedy Beverly Hills Chihuahua and the Christmas Day release of Marley & Me — comes the fear of a manufactured demand for Chihuahua pups or blond Labradors.
Carrie Kuehl, director of the Animal Birth Control Clinic of Waco, said such flicks create a “sad phenomenon” of pumping up demand for certain breeds.
Just because a dog has its breed registration papers doesn’t guarantee it will be a quality animal, Kuehl said. “Any animal of terrible genetic and breeding quality can be registered.”
The clinic cares for many dogs that it suspects are the products of puppy mills because they suffer from extensive genetic defects and poor condition. These conditions can lead to a lifetime of expensive veterinary care and heartache, she added.
“We also see many puppies that are released much too early to be away from their mother and siblings,” she said. “Breeders may overstate the age of the litter to get fast dollars in their pocket.”
So ABC always encourages adoption from a shelter instead, Kuehl said.
Another problem with giving pets as gifts is that people ill-prepared for the responsibilities of pet ownership might discard the animal after the holiday hubbub is past. The process of re-homing or adoption isn’t always successful. Sometimes these impulse gift pets pay with their life, Kuehl cautioned.
“There simply aren’t enough loving homes, in our community, Texas and beyond,” she added. Choosing a pet impulsively from a breeder compounds the pet overpopulation problem.
“Many discarded shelter pets in desperate need of a home must die because the uneducated choice is made to purchase from a bad source,” she added.
Karen Froehlich, executive director of the Waco Humane Society, said her nonprofit organization will not knowingly adopt out pets as gifts.
“In an effort to make the right matches with the right adopters, we are implementing the ASPCA Meet Your Match Program,” which helps people choose a pet according to the dog’s or cat’s behavior and the adopter’s expectations.
The shelter also offers gift certificates that can help fund the purchase of a pet after the holidays, Froehlich said.
tjryan@wacotrib.com
757-5746
Comments
By Fred's Counselor
Dec 2, 2008 11:56 AM | Link to this
It's all understood, Fred's Mother. Just go ahead and sign the waiver and we'll get that labotomy scheduled and underway. Peaceful, though 'unsane' serenity awaits his troubled mind and then.............we'll go ahead and get him neutered.
By Uncle Remus
Dec 1, 2008 10:39 PM | Link to this
Fred and the Trib. What would life be like without 'em?
By Fred's Mother
Dec 1, 2008 8:18 PM | Link to this
Dear Citizens of Waco, Fred's Counselor and Fred's nemesis:
I beg you to please stop picking on my little Freddy. It isn't his fault that he is the way he is...It's mine. The doctors told me that I needed to quit my job at the lead smelting plant if I ever wanted to have children, but I stayed at my job smelting lead until little Freddy was born. Who knew lead exposure would do this to a baby? I also refused to wean him or potty train him until he was well out of High school. I thought I was being a good mother. Who could ever know this is how my baby would turn out?
By CoCo Rocha
Dec 1, 2008 11:55 AM | Link to this
I once knew an oriental family that used to live down the street and they own a very successful restaurant business. They welcomed, even solicited, the gifts of pets - not only at Christmas, but year round and for no specific occasion either. I always wondered how they could take in so many cats and dogs over the years.
Hey, wait a minute, do you think.......? Uh, well, I guess I'd better not eat there any more.
By Fred's Counselor
Dec 1, 2008 10:13 AM | Link to this
Fred???? I'm out on a limb here. I've done all I can to guide you to a point of keeping your personal issues in check. I know it's not easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is, but I fear what's awaiting you down your insisted path of negative demise. Fred, the state called and recommended a labotomy for your troubled mind. I'm getting to the point where I just may have to agree. Oh, and by the way, they also advised to go ahead and consider getting you neutered.
By Fred's Nemesis
Dec 1, 2008 7:26 AM | Link to this
Fred, This was a serious article about the needs of pets. You are such a dumbas$ turning it into "slaughterhouse Waco" Get a job and a life. Maybe you could move to someplace else. I know that people are tired of hearing from you on every article in the Trib. I myself am an animal lover and If you can't be serious about anything then get off the computer, please. Waco is not that bad of a place to be. STOP WITH THE BULL$HIT AND EITHER LEAVE TOWN OR LEARN TO LIKE WHERE YOU LIVE!
By Fred
Dec 1, 2008 5:43 AM | Link to this
Waco City Manager Larry Groth has his own pet. It's a female named Virgina DuPuy. I (Fred) wouldn't take her to a dog-fight even if she were the defending champion. Such are pets in Slaughterhouse Waco.
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