A little rant about giving pets as presents .....

I love shopping for tools at this time of year!  Forty ... fifty .. sixty percent off can convert pipe dreams to affordable options in an instant.
That's all well and fine when one is buying for oneself!   After all, I know how much room I have in my workshop!   Even better, I already understand my amateur skills are not suited for everything.  Best of of all, of course, is that the odds are pretty slim I will wind up with tools that I already have!
Kind of like the whole giving a pet for a present idea, eh?  And before the keyboards catch on fire, there is a world of difference between pet adoption and pet purchase.
Kind hearts who are moved to adopt a pet through promotions like Home for the Holidays still have to apply ... provide references .. and pass the screening process.  They cannot just reply to an ad, slap their money down and head out with a new pal, eh?
It saddens me to see the numerous free to a good home puppies on Kijiji right now.    Admittedly, some of them WILL hit the jackpot and live their whole lives with the folks who fell in love with all that puppy cuteness.   ( the subject of how even those lucky ones may not be fortunate enough to be spayed and / or neutered is a separate story for a post of its own on another day)
If someone stuffed a toolbelt in my stocking, I could simply tuck it away in the cupboard.  I already have at least three kicking around .... but the belt would not come to harm even f it was set aside for several years!
When I give someone a tool as a gift .. I always save the receipt so that they can exchange it for one that they DON'T have, if need be.
If worst came to worst, and in my enthusiasm for holiday sales I bought something I already had ( ask any guy .. it happens!) ... I could either take it back or pass it on to someone else.
The point I am making in my meandering way is that living breathing sentient beings do not make good gifts at any time of year.    Proof of that pudding is the abundance of beautiful young dogs available for adoption.  This time last year they were likely sitting under the tree, utterly unaware that it was only infatuation instead of committed true love in store :(
What happens when the novelty wears off?   The lucky ones find their way to a reputable rescue where they are given the training that less experienced and / or committed hands should have offered.
Sadly, the less fortunate ones wind up being recycled like old socks on Kijiji.  Even worse, some of them ... like my sweet O Henry ... simply are abandoned to fend for themselves.   Saddest of all of course are the ones that were never taught that it was not appropriate to nip/ jump up / mouth / etc ... and wound up with the Ultimate Unhappy Tail :(
Does that mean that kind hearts should not be able to enrich their lives with the love of a new best friend at this time of year?   Of course not!  
Really reputable breeders will carefully screen potential pet owners to ensure that the love and time they have invested will not wind up in the freezer of a vets office or old school shelter.
Reputable rescues have a careful application process that will hopefully provide a good future for their adoptables.  Even better, if adopters have overestimated their available time or tolerance levels ... or if the pet behaves differently outside of the shelter environment .. then their contracts insist that the pet be returned.
Best of all, is that potential pet owners are not working without a net.    Unlike the 'free to a good homes', adopters are able to ask the rescue or group for advice.
What time is it?  It is always time to remember that the kind act of pet adoption also protects the adopter :)
And this is how I see it today,  Thursday, Dec 1st ... the FIFTEENTH day since the dismissed shelter manager and the disbanded board created the renegade shelter.