So, you want to buy your kid's, or family a pet for Christmas? It seems like a great idea for the best gift ever for your kids. What child doesn't think getting a puppy is like the best gift ever?
But, wait..... First let's consider a few things.
First off I will address the fact that many consider giving a living animal as a gift to your child cheapens the value of the animal being a living thing, and reduces him/her to a toy. I see that point, and agree, but hear me out. There is no such thing as a free animal from rescue, or from anywhere. They all have fees associated with them, and require immunizations, and other things. Even a rescue dog is likely to cost upwards of a couple hundred by the time all is said, and done depending on the fees at your local shelter. For a lot of us that money needs to come from somewhere, so the gift fund is often where it comes from. The same as this year Christmas in our household is a little short (okay a lot) due to our dog getting sick, and requiring a lot of very expensive vet care. The money had to come from somewhere, so it came out of our Christmas budget. Merry Christmas to us. We still have a healthy dog.
Now that I've got that out of the way let's get back to the main point. Picking out a pet.
