Looking for Kitten or Small Puppy for Christmas

N.,

My 18 year old daughter bought a Shitsu today and brought it home without realizing that I am alergic to it. I also have lower back problems and it is difficult to bend over to pick him up and feed and etc. He is almost 3 months old and she has papers to send in. $350 is all that is invested in him.

I have been married 20 &1/2 years. My 14 year old son was just diagnosed with Scolosis

Sheila J.

I don't know where you're located, but my daughter and I volunteer at the Richardson Animal shelter. When we were there last they have MANY kittens available and coming up for adoption. And they had at least two dogs with new puppies. It would be a great place to look. http://www.cor.net/AnimalShelter.aspx Take a look - they'll be at Santa's village at the Richardson Civic Center every weekend in December. What could be better than visiting Santa's Village and taking home a new puppy. They even have one of the dogs with her puppies on the website and show that they will be available on December 22nd.

I hope this helps - Suzi

The fact that anyone in this day and age can even ask this question is stunning to me. The clear and obvious answer is:
GO TO A SHELTER and save an animal from death.

While the dog may tend to gravitate toward your son if you want the dog to really be his dog, you HAVE to make him be the one to feed the dog and take it out the majority of the time. My big dog is supposedly my youngest son's, the blue heeler is my middle son's and the little mutt is supposed to be both boys but the dogs are really mine because they know that if it weren't for me, they would all starve to death and need to learn to use the toilet.

You will probably get a lot of info here on breeds but I would google. Labs, shepherds, boxers are all very good breeds with children, i.e. would not bite the child but would go through a window to protect them. Call your vet also to ask about breeds, they want to pair people with the right dogs and can steer you in the right direction.

The cat I would consider whether your dog is going to be jazzed about that and with the puppy, is your dog okay around other dogs? My older dog pitched a fit and constantly snapped at the puppy and actually got into fights with her. The first couple of times, the puppy was just trying to defend herself, the last two fights had both dogs with puncture wounds, etc.

The older dog was having physical problems, arthritis and continence issues. I did not trust her around the children anymore and was worried one of the kids would get hurt when the dogs fought so we made the difficult decision to put her down. How old is your older dog and are you prepared to get rid of one or the other if they don't get along? If your dog hasn't been around other dogs I would get together with someone and see how he does. Otherwise, depending on how old the dog is, you may wind up living in a doggie armed camp until the older one dies or is put down because of old-age medical issues.

The puppy is now 110 lbs and is a mixed breed, German Shepherd, Rottweiller and Grand Pyrennes. My 9-year-old has for years laid all over her, she tolerates so much b.s. from that kid. Read up on crate training, it is the easiest way to deal with the puppy issues and if you keep the crate in your son's room, the puppy will think of that as his room, your son part of his pack, and might reduce any potential problems with the older dog.

While adopting from a shelter is a good thing, if you go that route be careful. One of the benefits of a breeder is that you can tell them it is a dog for a child and they can choose a pup from a litter of parents that are both laid back, gentle, etc. My friend got an English bull about a year ago, nicest dog on the planet and very timid when they brought him home, also good with kids.

My friend just had boxer puppies last week. Send me a message and let me know if you are interested and I will put you in contact with her.

Check out www.cragslist.org the pets section have lots of free pets or go to www.petfinder.com
also the spca or shelter...
Good luck

Apri J

Hi N., well since apparently the only part of your request that some people read was the TITLE...i am not going to give advice...I have no room to. We have 4 big ones, inside dogs, that sleep with my son (he is 5) on his bed, and in his room. There are no allergy problems. my older ones are 6,7,8,9. All around before the kiddo was born, last weekend we went to Canton (First Monday Trades Days) and came home with a 6 month old German Sherpherd Mix. So we we let our kids out on rainy days, we have 20 FEET to clean. I consider all of my kids to be rescue situations, even though I got none from the shleter, with the experience you have with pets, as you listed in your request...which people still think you know nothing...I had a lady at work telling me how to socialize the new one it...and she said...DONT LET YOU SON BE THERE WHEN ITIS HAPPENING, HE WILL BE STRESSED OUT ABOUT THE SITUATION!! Any way....so that tells you John Q Public knows more than you do about what is going on in your life than you do. Cheyenne, the oldest this breeder had, there was no telling what she was going to have to go thru if she was not adopted, the breeder decreased the price by 50% just in a matter of 15 minutes to get rid of her. With all of this being said....check out www.craigslist.net you will find something there. Good Luck!!! Let me know how it goes.

We recently got our new puppy off of Craig's List, locally here in McKinney. There was only a nominal fee and she is great! I would recommend that route. They normally send pictures and give a description of the pet and then you can email them if you're interested. Go to www.craigslistdallas.com and go to pets.

I have done animal rescue on and off for three years. I'm currently trying to locate homes for both baby hamsters and kittens. The baby hamsters are the largest variety and make wonderful pets for children. These are completely hand tamed and will not bite (handled from birth)-and will be ready at Christmas or just before. They're all very cute.

Our rescue kitty had 6 kittens Thanksgiving Day. Four are not yet spoken for but they'll be ready around New Year's. 2 are female-a mostly black tortishell and a "Torbie" (which I am told is what you call a mix of tabby and tortishell) and 2 males- both orange and white stripe with white undersides and white spilling onto neck, face, feet and a spot on their backs. They look just like their lovely momma.

The adoption fee for either hamster or kitten is $10. This fee will ensure the rescued momma kitty will be spayed and will also go toward helping other animals. You'd be welcome to come pick out your kitten, or reserve it by name and number. We do have other pets but all are up to date on vaccinations, and kept on parasite prevenative and spoiled rotten. Plus my own children are 6 and 3 so all our pets are kid friendly and handled by children already.

I am located in Garland and if you're interested, you can call me at ###-###-####. Otherwise, if you don't find what you are looking for then any shelter is a great way to save a life.

hi N.

there is a great animal rescue.........
2417 Custer Cove, Richardson (Off Custer between Campbell and Renner.)

they are actually having a holiday art sale today to help the rescue and will have some of the animals there.

personally i have 2 dogs, 5 cats, 2 of the kittens/cats i just adopted from this same rescue org. they are incredibly sweet. the woman who runs the animal rescue has 3 boys herself so most of the animals know how to get along w/ children by the time they are adopted out.
plus, it feels great to add an addition to your family after having saved it's life.

I agree with Christmas not being the "time" for a pet. SO many pets are disowned shortly after Christmas when the owners truly realize the committments, financially and emotionally. It is very much like a new baby in the home. Someone has to be up every 3 or so hours with this new pet (mostly mom).

We have 3 dogs. All 3 were specifically purchased for our soon to be 14 yr old daughter. Our dogs are 9, 4 and 2 in age. All of the dogs are "mine" because I feed them, I walk them, I take care of their needs. Luckily, I LOVE dogs and I am ok with it, however my daughter hurts because at 14 she STILL doesn't get that the dogs LOVE and grativitate to the main caretaker.

Daughter gets sad when she sees all 3 gravititate to me when we all sit down as a family but I (did I say I I I Enough) am the primary caretaker of these pets. I love them dearly and they love daughter. They do not see her in the same way they see me.......(food source, caregiver, etc). She is seen simply as a playmate when she wants to.

I agree with going to the shelter. Too many pets are disregarded just because people get tired of caring for them and the do not respect that taking a pet into that family is a committment of 10+ years. It is a huge responsibility. Think a lot before you make this choice.

There is a great no-kill animal shelter in Carrolton called Operation Kindess I would suggest checking at. Also, in terms if breed I highly recommend lab or lab-mix. We have one that is 4 years and has adjusted to are 1 year old girls wonderfully. We actually got him becuase my husband grew up with labs who were all wonderful campanions (and pillows) for him and his sister.

N.,
My doctors cat just had kittens. They are adorable. If you are interested please email me at ____@____.com
Thanks L.

My parents have 4 kittens about 2 1/2 months old. White with black spots. 2 have long hair and 2 are shorter haired. Contact me if your interested. Free in Melissa

www.petfinder.com has a pet search and can help you locate a shelter or pet rescue near you. Research breeds first to see which personalities work best for you. Also make sure the new pet gets along with your existing dog. You will really need to work the relationship to make sure the pet wants to sleep/hang with your son.

I have a friend who has both, especially a lot of kittens. If you will email me, I'll give you her name and number. She does rescue and fostering, and can help you pick the perfect pet, and help with supplies too.
C. ____@____.com

Please adopt from a shelter. Wouldn't you love to save a life for Christmas??

I just read an article about not giving pets on Christmas morning because it is too stimulating for such a small animal and can be scary for them.

You are right, you are going to get a bunch of advice not to get your son a puppy.

I recommend going to a shelter and adopting a dog from there, that way you save a life.

I do agree that Christmas morning can be a very hectic and stressful time, so it may be best to get the puppy a week before or after Christmas instead.

I do recommend a puppy instead of a kitten though.

We got my 4 year old daughter a puppy 4 days after her birthday. While the dog is her dog, we don't expect her to take care of him 100%. She loves him dearly, carries him around, they lay together to watch movies, etc. She lets him out for potty time and plays with him in the back yard. She walks him on a leash too. But we don't expect her to feed and water or to pick up poop, although she has helped with these chores. Why am I telling you all this? Because, giving a 4 year old a dog can work...if you set it up right.

We also have an older dog that doesn't car for my daughter. She growls when she doesn't want to be bothered. It has nothing to do with pack issues or anything else and my daughter is very gentle with her. My older dog just wasn't raised around kids, period.

Good luck on your quest. I hope you are able to find a dog as wonderful as the one we found.

Merry Christmas!!

I got this on one of my other blogs...

Yesterday afternoon (12/01/08), around 5:00 PM, the children and I went
to the park. There was no one else there, probably because it was rather
chilly. We played around some trees, not yet going to the playground
equipment. After about five minutes, a little puppy wandered over to us.
As we picked it up and talked to it, another one wandered over! Then I
saw a third! Which led me to walk around and see TWO MORE!!!

FIVE PUPPIES shivering in the cold!

There were six total, but one had already died. I looked around a bit
for a mother dog, but I was pretty sure since one puppy had already died
that these guys had been abandoned at the park.

So. . .what to do but load them up into the car and bring them home! And
now, I hope that anyone who can will take one, because we seriously
can't keep five dogs! There are four females and one male. :-) If you
can't take one (or two), then tell your friends, please! Thanks!

Two of them look like they MIGHT grow up to be small-to-medium in size
(their paws are bigger than the other dogs' paws). The other three look
like they should be pretty small.

They can call my cell number at ###-###-#### (Tracie) . Please tell them to feel
free to text and/or leave a message (if I don't answer when they call).
Also, they can email me with any questions. . .if they want to know if
one is reserved or outgoing, etc.

I don't know exactly what kind or how old of a kitten you are looking for, but I have six 7 month old kittens that have kind of adopted us. I have tried to find them homes and tried to give them to a no-kill shelter, but they are all full. They are sweet kittens and love to be loved on. A couple of the kittens will let my 3 and 4 year old pet and play with them. I also have three 4-5 week old kittens. (Unfortunately, the stray cat that had the 1st litter got pregnant again before we could take her to get fixed). If you are interested, please let me know. These cats are great cats and deserve good homes. By the way....they are free. I just want them to have a good home. If you would like to see pictures of them, I can email those to you too. My email is ____@____.com

Go to the Plano Animal Shelter on Coit/15th Street. Best deals in town. Your adopted pet will have already been spayed/nuetered, given their first series of shots, micro chipped, and give a bag of science diet food all for a certain amount of money. i adopted a kitten in october for $57. well worth it!

In general, I recommend going to your local humane society. However, most of them have very sensible rules of not adopting animals into homes with kids under 7. They made an exception for me when my younger son was 6, but that was only because they were aware that we already had several pets and NO problems with them and the kids. IF your dog is growling at the kids, you need to understand why - they need to learn appropriate boundaries with the animal - OTW, you'll have the same problem with the new pet. Cats in general can be very intolerant of improper handling, so I don't suggest them for a small child at all (although YMMV, I would hate to see you 6 mos from now trying to find another home for a kitten).

So, I recommend waiting until he is 7+ and focusing more on showing him how to behave with your current dogI'd also be concerned about problems with your current dog, since there seems to already be an issue with your current "pack" in terms of accepting a new member (i.e., your son). So, some obedience training or watching that super pet guy on TV would likely be a very good idea.

Note, my younger son wants a hamster and I got him a hamster toy - you wind it up and it goes around the wheel. He wanted a fish and he had to be nice to the cats for two months to get that and it's entirely his job to care for his fish. Here again, your son is way too young to take on that responsibility and most animals will bound with the person that takes care of them the most, so in the end, the dog is far more likely to be another "child" to care for than your son's best friend. We've just gone through that with two new dogs, including a puppy over the past year. He does bond some with my older son since he cares for him when I'm out of town. But, he doesn't even consider spending nearly as much time with my younger son, who still just cuddles with kitties that he's grown up with since he's been 7+. And, for you personally, a new puppy is incredibly similar to having a new baby in the house for just about the first two years - are you ready for that?

Also, you might need to consider potential allergies if the dog were to sleep in your son's room and not just to the dog. Since dogs go outside their coats pick up every type of pollen in the air. In our house, the rule is no pets in the bedrooms.

My sister has pinnypoo puppies - no cost, but they will need shots and fixing, but they won't be available until Jan 5. Let me know if you're interested.

I suggest going to www.Petfiner.com as well. You can search by area shelters, or by breed, etc. I just adopted an adorable 6 month old kitten, an orange tabby from the Plano Animal Shelter. I suggest adopting from somewhere, as you will be saving a life. Plus, adopting will save you money. My new kitty has all his shots, and has already been fixed, and I only paid $50 for the adoption. He does not need shots for a year. Good luck and happy hunting!

We had a really cute kitten show up at our house 3 wks ago(solid white w/ a black and orange tail and markings on the face). I have 3 other cats and 2 dogs and she gets along with all of them but I do not need another cat. She has a collar on, so I know she's someone's pet. She has never left our back porch and LOVES people and animals. Please let me know if you'd like her ____@____.com

petfinder.com

save a life

I do not have a kitten, but I have a 2 year old cat I have to find a loving home for ;(
E-mail me if you would like a picture of Serendipty...
Thank you,
S.