by Pat Gray

Created on: December 17, 2011   Last Updated: December 20, 2011

It's a romantic notion for children and even some adults - waking up to find an adorable puppy or deserving rescue dog under the Christmas tree. Unfortunately, the reality for many dogs given as gifts is not the fairy tale ending of a happy long life with a loving family. Like many nice, but unwanted gifts, the fate of the Christmas gift dog isn't typically what the giver had intended.

Possible fates for any unwanted Christmas gift include:

- Unwanted gifts are returned

Only good breeders take dogs back, but then again a good breeder would carefully assess a situation and would refuse to allow a puppy to go to an unsuitable situation right before the holidays. For the unwanted Christmas gift dog or puppy, being a "returned gift" after the holidays means a one-way trip to the pound or surrender to an overwhelmed shelter.

- Unneeded gifts are not enjoyed

You may wear the novelty tie once or twice out of politeness, but only when necessary and without much pleasure. The same is true with a dog - even if the recipient of the Christmas-gift dog decides to keep their present, they won't enjoy the experience, and both giftee and dog will suffer.

- Unwanted gifts are relegated to the "closet"

It's so sad to see a social like a dog, forced to spend their life alone, on the end of a chain, in a 10-foot by 10-foot kennel or left to wander the neighborhood with no attention or affection from their owner, and with indifferent or insufficient care. This is the "closet" an unwanted dog may be stuffed into in the aftermath of the gift-giving season.

- Unwanted gifts are ignored when the novelty wears off

Even if the Christmas gift dog was enjoyed in the short term, and kept in the comfort of the home, if they are ignored, they will not be happy. Dogs need more than nice beds, good food and expensive toys - they need daily attention, training, and they need to spend "quality time" with the owners they love.

But because dogs are living things, not inanimate objects, the unwanted Christmas gift dog may suffer from two additional ill-effects  - behavioral issues and the effects of mass production.

Behavioral effects

The holidays are busy times for most households, and there is little time to spend on two critical aspects of getting a new dog - socialization and/or integration into the family. Because of a lack of critical early socialization for puppies and integration for older dogs, gift dogs often develop short-term or long-term behavioral problems which can become difficult problems

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