A rather belated guide to picking the perfect dog to give as a Christmas present.

Dear Person Who's About To Give A Dog As A Present,

Please don't worry. I'm not going to climb onto A Very High Soapbox and sermonise. That would be judgemental, rude and naive of me. Besides, there'll be enough of that this season.

If you've already made up your mind to give a dog to someone this Christmas, there's nothing more I can say, that hasn't already been said by much more informed people and organizations.

So instead, I've decided to help you pick The Perfect Dog!

It won't be the definitive guide, of course. I'm not an expert in these things. But I'm hoping it'll be helpful and a good start. At the very least, it'll be a most convenient one-stop page for shopping for a dog [and not just at Christmas].

I must warn you that it will take some time to read the links, and view the video. But I can definitely guarantee you that an hour or so spent here, WILL save you a lot of time, money, disappointment and grief later.

So here goes.

Step 1. If you're giving a dog as a Christmas present, why not consider getting one from a rescue?

If you're in Australia, here are 2 excellent links. They are a collection of dogs from different rescues and sources. You'll be able to immediately shortlist your preferences by gender, state and size and see pictures. You won't have to drive 2 hours out to a pound until you see something you like. Given that there are only 10 more shopping days till Christmas, that must be good news!

http://www.petrescue.com.au/

http://www.dchanimaladoptions.com/


Step 2. Oh dear. Those links are just showing you mutts and you've set your heart on a pedigree. What is a pedigree? Hmmm, let's see...

http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/44215931

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2688984.htm

Step 3. You think that video was nonsense made for bleeding hearts. You still want a pedigree.

No worries. Believe it or not, you won't need to go to a breeder or [heaven forbid] a petshop to get one. You'll find many tossed away ones here:

http://www.dogs4sale.com.au/Rescue_Organisations.htm

"Mummy, can I please, please, PLEASE have a snow dog? Please?"
http://www.winterpaws.com.au/index.html 

http://greyhoundrescue.com.au/ 

Interesting Note: Rufus B Thumper was abandoned twice before he was even 8 months old. Over the years, we've had people offering thousands of dollars for him and wanting to breed him. [Sorry, neutered.] You can see how cute he is, even at age 10 and a half, HERE.

See? It is possible to fool everyone and pay [something like] AUD200 for YOUR very own pedigree. Go on, check the links. Plenty more if you google your preferred breed.


Step 4. You've decided you want a Great Dane/Blue Heeler/Pug/Jack Russell/_ _ _fill in the blank_ _ _

But will it be the right dog for The Lucky Person Who's Going To Get A Dog This Christmas? THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! Would you buy a pair of size 40 shoes for someone with size 37 feet? No, because that would be silly!

So, check the fit here: http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselectorindex.do

If you're feeling industrious, googling will get you to many other helpful breed information and selector sites.


Step 5. You've changed your mind! It does sound like giving a dog as a Christmas present might after all be something to think about a bit longer. But you  really REALLY want to give something warm and fuzzy away for Christmas.

Why not try this?

http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com.au/ChooseAGift.php

I have a feeling the recipients will really REALLY treasure your gift.


That's it then! Thank you so much for reading. Maybe you know someone who might find this page helpful. If so, please feel free to share it!

Love & pe*ace 

&

a  Happy Christmas to you :)

The wonderful stickers that you see here come from a rescue in South Africa:
http://www.africantails.co.za/