The Perfect Christmas Gift

Giving the perfect gift. This time of year it can be all we think about. Getting that special someone the gift they've been wishing for for months or even years. What about a new pet as the perfect gift? Your child begs for a dog daily. Your girlfriend has been clamoring for one for months. Your husband is sure that a new dog is exactly what is needed to complete your family. But what about giving animals as pets for Christmas. It may seem like a great idea, but maybe there is a better way?

For me, part of the joy of adopting a new pet is finding the special something about a certain dog that speaks to me in a way that no other dog does. Take for instance my first Labrador. Long before I discovered my passion for animal rescue, I found an ad for Labrador puppies in my local newspaper. I had been begging my husband for months and so after work one day, he took me out to see the pups. Suddenly 12 puppies surrounded me...rolling pell mell all over each other in attempt to get to me first. I dropped to my knees and was instantly enveloped in Labrador puppy love. What an amazing feeling. With so many warm wiggling bodies surrounding me, it was hard for me to tell one from the other. So after many minutes of feeling like I was a pot full of honey surrounded by a bumbling mass of baby bees, I extracted myself from the puppy pile and began to walk away to try to get a better look.

At first nothing changed. The pups didn't seem to notice I had gone. They quickly merged into a roly poly Labrador snowball. But then one little pup disentangled himself from the fray and began to look around. He spotted me and seemed to sprout wings as he made a beeline directly for me!! Of course, we brought him home. There was no question that he was "the one". We named him Miko and although he has been gone for 13 years, that memory of him running as fast as his short little puppy legs could take his fat puppy body across the grass back to me has stayed with me like it all happened yesterday. That was the moment that my true love for this dog and the breed was born. My husband gave me the dog, but the true gift was what Miko gave to me.

Think about arranged marriages. Not exactly in vogue anymore. There is a reason for that. You don't want someone to choose the person with whom you spend the rest of your life. Neither should you choose a pet for someone else. I'm not saying that giving a pet to someone for Christmas is a bad idea. What I am suggesting is that you give the gift of the joy of that special connection - the gift that will be remembered for a lifetime. So you want to give someone a pet for Christmas? No problem, wrap up a dog bowl....or a leash and collar.... Your loved one will get the idea and then all of you can share in that beautiful moment when the perfect pet joins your family.