Over the years I’ve written numerous holiday-related articles, commentaries, and blogs on all the different issues that may make holidays less than merry for companion animals and the humans with whom they share their lives. Nor do I doubt that countless others will contribute their own offerings that address these same topics again this year. Among these will be warnings not to give animals as holiday gifts, even if we feel totally convinced that the animal would result in the very best holiday ever for the recipient. We will learn, if we didn’t already know, the numerous reasons for this warning.
From an ethological perspective, establishing the physical and mental space ranks as the #1 animal priority. Alas, the physical and mental spaces are anything but stable during the holidays in many households. Work and school schedules change; more visitors may visit, some welcomed some not so welcomed. Even those who live alone and have no holiday plans consciously or subconsciously may expect an animal acquired at this time to make them happy and even in very specific ways. Trying to figure out where one belongs in such an ever-changing physical and mental space would challenge anyone, let alone an animal with a perceptual range beyond our comprehension experiencing all this for the first time.
Further complicating matters, during this same period people often will prepare and consume food and drink they wouldn’t at other times of the year. Many will deck their homes outside and in with decorations that appear only for a few weeks and then vanish afterward. Like humans, some animals are attracted to novelty and want to know more about these tantalizing objects. Sometimes that includes tasting or even eating them. Unfortunately some of those foods, drinks, and decorations may be toxic to certain animals.
Animals new to such an environment attempting to locate a reliable reference point amid all these changes face a challenge akin to seeking the proverbial needle in a haystack. Trying to get adequate sleep, negotiate this new and complex territory to find a litter box, or remember not chew the baby’s toys or someone’s smart phone may prove impossible. Meanwhile people may summon all kinds of excuses (there’s too much else to do, they’re too stressed, etc.) to explain why they can’t provide reliable limits, basic training, and a safe haven for the new animal addition during this busy time of year. It’s the holiday season. And besides, the new pet is so adorable and so much fun to play with…
Regardless of the evidence supplied, the message remains the same: Don’t give animals as gifts or get one for yourself during the holiday season. There’s too much going on with too much emotion—including negative ones if you feel alienated from the festivities for some reason—to ensure the wise selection of a lifelong animal companion and provide a quality environment for an animal at this time.
What characterizes this and other animal-related advice is that it expands the holiday message of peace and good will to include animals as well as humans. Animal-savvy people want to communicate this information so that companion animals everywhere may enjoy a holiday season as merry as those with whom they share or ultimately may share their homes and lives.
But during the last several decades a different, more self-serving holiday spirit has crept in that may take precedence over any concerns about ensuring the animal’s behavioral and physical health, let alone the establishment of a long-lasting and mutually rewarding human-animal relationship. According to adherents of this revised holiday spirit, we still shouldn’t give animals purchased from pet stores or breeders for holiday gifts. But it’s OK and even desirable to give or accept gifts of unwanted animals from (usually their) shelters or rescue groups.
…At this point in my composition of this holiday commentary, life intervened. In addition to my regular client-related work and that related to my interests in the human-animal bond, I juggled the kind of home-maintenance disasters familiar to all owners of old homes. At the same time the weather made it quite clear that, although some unseasonably warm spells may still make their appearance, I could dawdle no longer unless I wanted to be pruning and doing other outdoor chores in the snow.
During this same period I relaxed at the end of the day as I do most days, by reading something strictly for its entertainment value. And during the holiday season, I especially enjoy those books and short stories with a holiday theme. Unfortunately instead of affirming the holiday spirit of peace and good will to all, some of the those I chose this year contributed to a deterioration of my mood instead.
A few examples:
Within the first few pages of a mystery I selected in my Kindle’s holiday line-up, I learned about a crime that occurs shortly before a town-wide Christmas celebration, one of the main events of which is a display of animals for adoption. As you might imagine, my initial inclination when I read this was to delete said book. But instead, I left that book and chose a familiar tale from a collection of classic holiday-themed stories. While I normally don’t consider Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl an upbeat holiday tale, at the time I considered it more of an upper than what I’d been reading.
For several nights I ignored the mystery, the plot of which hinged on the main character solving a murder so animals could be adopted that holiday season by all the tourists who would flock to the town. But ultimately I opened it again because I no longer could ignore a vow I made to myself years ago to read anything related to animals that came my way. No matter how painful.
And so it came to pass that I finished the book.
As befits the season, when I concluded the book I acknowledged that a miracle indeed had occurred. Not the miracle of 100 animals being adopted in less than 2 days by out-of-towners overwhelmed by the holiday spirit. Not the miracle of a murder that amazingly solved itself in a mere sentence or two. Nor that of a heroine who played a minimal role in all this and seemed to have no visible means of support. The miracle was that the book that I expected to make me crazy turned out to be so lame that ultimately it didn’t even inspire me enough to dislike it.
After cleansing my literary palette with O’Henry’s Gift of the Magi, I turned my attention to another contemporary selection. Once again the grinchly spirit attempted to make its presence known, this time in the form of a story about a young woman who just had major surgery and faced more medical trauma ahead who lived alone with no family or others to care for her. (As I recall, her boyfriend dumped her and her only friend had to work during the holiday season.) On her first day home from the hospital with her multiple incisions with their gazillion stitches and barely able to move, she lies on her couch and sees a television ad for the local shelter that informs her of all the puppies available for holiday adoption. She resists temptation, rightfully telling herself that she can scarcely attend to her own needs let alone those of a puppy. But the very next day, holiday miracles begin to happen. First she drives to the shelter where a drop-dead gorgeous male attendant asks her what breed of puppy she wants to adopt. Yep, that’s what he asked her: what breed she wants, as if all shelters are glutted with purebred puppies this time of year. Alas, she can’t make up her mind because she’s in so much pain and so besotted by his good looks, so he tells her he’ll pick the perfect puppy for her. This turns out to be a Chihuahua. (Are you screaming yet? I was.)
In hopes of ending the torture as quickly as possible, I continued reading. The hunky attendant invites himself to the main character’s home for dinner for the next ten weeks, never mind the fact that this woman has difficulty mustering the wherewithal to assemble a sandwich let alone cook for Prince Charming. The story ends with her marveling about the double miracle of finding true human and canine love that holiday season.
Totally shaken by these contemporary views of the holiday spirit as it relates to animals, I knew my only hope of banishing my despondent mood and finishing this commentary meant returning to the classics and those aspects of the human-animal bond that support me in the worst of times as well as the best. Among these I found a delightful period piece by Booth Tarkington entitled Beasley’s Christmas Party available from Amazon and Feedbooks as a free download. How could I resist a story, one of whose primary characters was a politician beloved by the people because he rarely spoke but always got the job done, and an imaginary Saint Bernard named Simpledoria who didn’t always come when called but would shake hands politely?
I’m happy to report that this strategy worked and reminded me that the holiday season remains a time of blessings for human and animals if we know where to look for them. This year I turn your attention to some in whom the true spirit of the holiday season still shines brightly:
- Those responsible shelters and rescue groups who freeze all adoptions during the holiday season. While they will accept the names of folks who express interest in a particular animal during this period and hold those animals for them, they don’t place any animals until after the holidays.
- Those people with the self-control to look beyond holiday-themed displays or pictures and write-ups on websites designed to entice them to make impulsive decisions about acquiring pets from breeders, pet stores, shelters, or rescue groups this time of year. It’s not easy to resist all that pressure. But the self-control it requires will benefit any animal you add to your household in countless ways and throughout that animal’s entire life.
- Those parents strong and caring enough to give—or have Santa give—their kids animal selection and care books or DVDs when the kids beg for a puppy or kitten for Christmas after seeing some heartwarming holiday-themed movie or television show with their implied happily ever after endings. These commendable folks realize that, if their children’s desire is real, it will last through the holidays until things settle down. They also recognize that, although their kids love holiday surprises, playing an active role in the weeks or longer it may take to properly prepare for and select a new animal addition makes kids feel like more valued members of the family.
- Those others caring enough to realize and accept that there are other, inanimate, gifts that say “I love you” to their sweethearts, parents, or other adults far better than any kitten, puppy, or other animal.
- Those writers, directors, producers, and others in the media who care enough about animals not to create or broadcast holiday-themed books, programs, or features that present the acquisition of animals as holiday miracles instead of life-long commitments. While such an ethical approach may cost them in the profit-driven media industry, their integrity is a very special holiday gift to our society.
These people and those like them create the true miracles of the holiday season, the kind that ensure peace and good will for animals as well as humans that last for years. They may comprise a minority and even what at times may appear to be a shrinking one. But in this time of hope, these people embody the true spirit of the season, and the one that the residents here in the little house on the hill share with you all this year.
If you have any comments regarding subject matter, favorite links, or anything you’d like to see discussed on or added to this site, please let me know at mm@mmilani.com.
Over the years I’ve written numerous holiday-related articles, commentaries, and blogs on all the different issues that may make holidays less than merry for companion animals and the humans with whom they share their lives. Nor do I doubt that countless others will contribute their own offerings that address these same topics again this year. Among these will be warnings not to give animals as holiday gifts, even if we feel totally convinced that the animal would result in the very best holiday ever for the recipient. We will learn, if we didn’t already know, the numerous reasons for this warning.
From an ethological perspective, establishing the physical and mental space ranks as the #1 animal priority. Alas, the physical and mental spaces are anything but stable during the holidays in many households. Work and school schedules change; more visitors may visit, some welcomed some not so welcomed. Even those who live alone and have no holiday plans consciously or subconsciously may expect an animal acquired at this time to make them happy and even in very specific ways. Trying to figure out where one belongs in such an ever-changing physical and mental space would challenge anyone, let alone an animal with a perceptual range beyond our comprehension experiencing all this for the first time.
Further complicating matters, during this same period people often will prepare and consume food and drink they wouldn’t at other times of the year. Many will deck their homes outside and in with decorations that appear only for a few weeks and then vanish afterward. Like humans, some animals are attracted to novelty and want to know more about these tantalizing objects. Sometimes that includes tasting or even eating them. Unfortunately some of those foods, drinks, and decorations may be toxic to certain animals.
Animals new to such an environment attempting to locate a reliable reference point amid all these changes face a challenge akin to seeking the proverbial needle in a haystack. Trying to get adequate sleep, negotiate this new and complex territory to find a litter box, or remember not chew the baby’s toys or someone’s smart phone may prove impossible. Meanwhile people may summon all kinds of excuses (there’s too much else to do, they’re too stressed, etc.) to explain why they can’t provide reliable limits, basic training, and a safe haven for the new animal addition during this busy time of year. It’s the holiday season. And besides, the new pet is so adorable and so much fun to play with…
Regardless of the evidence supplied, the message remains the same: Don’t give animals as gifts or get one for yourself during the holiday season. There’s too much going on with too much emotion—including negative ones if you feel alienated from the festivities for some reason—to ensure the wise selection of a lifelong animal companion and provide a quality environment for an animal at this time.
What characterizes this and other animal-related advice is that it expands the holiday message of peace and good will to include animals as well as humans. Animal-savvy people want to communicate this information so that companion animals everywhere may enjoy a holiday season as merry as those with whom they share or ultimately may share their homes and lives.
But during the last several decades a different, more self-serving holiday spirit has crept in that may take precedence over any concerns about ensuring the animal’s behavioral and physical health, let alone the establishment of a long-lasting and mutually rewarding human-animal relationship. According to adherents of this revised holiday spirit, we still shouldn’t give animals purchased from pet stores or breeders for holiday gifts. But it’s OK and even desirable to give or accept gifts of unwanted animals from (usually their) shelters or rescue groups.
…At this point in my composition of this holiday commentary, life intervened. In addition to my regular client-related work and that related to my interests in the human-animal bond, I juggled the kind of home-maintenance disasters familiar to all owners of old homes. At the same time the weather made it quite clear that, although some unseasonably warm spells may still make their appearance, I could dawdle no longer unless I wanted to be pruning and doing other outdoor chores in the snow.
During this same period I relaxed at the end of the day as I do most days, by reading something strictly for its entertainment value. And during the holiday season, I especially enjoy those books and short stories with a holiday theme. Unfortunately instead of affirming the holiday spirit of peace and good will to all, some of the those I chose this year contributed to a deterioration of my mood instead.
A few examples:
Within the first few pages of a mystery I selected in my Kindle’s holiday line-up, I learned about a crime that occurs shortly before a town-wide Christmas celebration, one of the main events of which is a display of animals for adoption. As you might imagine, my initial inclination when I read this was to delete said book. But instead, I left that book and chose a familiar tale from a collection of classic holiday-themed stories. While I normally don’t consider Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl an upbeat holiday tale, at the time I considered it more of an upper than what I’d been reading.
For several nights I ignored the mystery, the plot of which hinged on the main character solving a murder so animals could be adopted that holiday season by all the tourists who would flock to the town. But ultimately I opened it again because I no longer could ignore a vow I made to myself years ago to read anything related to animals that came my way. No matter how painful.
And so it came to pass that I finished the book.
As befits the season, when I concluded the book I acknowledged that a miracle indeed had occurred. Not the miracle of 100 animals being adopted in less than 2 days by out-of-towners overwhelmed by the holiday spirit. Not the miracle of a murder that amazingly solved itself in a mere sentence or two. Nor that of a heroine who played a minimal role in all this and seemed to have no visible means of support. The miracle was that the book that I expected to make me crazy turned out to be so lame that ultimately it didn’t even inspire me enough to dislike it.
After cleansing my literary palette with O’Henry’s Gift of the Magi, I turned my attention to another contemporary selection. Once again the grinchly spirit attempted to make its presence known, this time in the form of a story about a young woman who just had major surgery and faced more medical trauma ahead who lived alone with no family or others to care for her. (As I recall, her boyfriend dumped her and her only friend had to work during the holiday season.) On her first day home from the hospital with her multiple incisions with their gazillion stitches and barely able to move, she lies on her couch and sees a television ad for the local shelter that informs her of all the puppies available for holiday adoption. She resists temptation, rightfully telling herself that she can scarcely attend to her own needs let alone those of a puppy. But the very next day, holiday miracles begin to happen. First she drives to the shelter where a drop-dead gorgeous male attendant asks her what breed of puppy she wants to adopt. Yep, that’s what he asked her: what breed she wants, as if all shelters are glutted with purebred puppies this time of year. Alas, she can’t make up her mind because she’s in so much pain and so besotted by his good looks, so he tells her he’ll pick the perfect puppy for her. This turns out to be a Chihuahua. (Are you screaming yet? I was.)
In hopes of ending the torture as quickly as possible, I continued reading. The hunky attendant invites himself to the main character’s home for dinner for the next ten weeks, never mind the fact that this woman has difficulty mustering the wherewithal to assemble a sandwich let alone cook for Prince Charming. The story ends with her marveling about the double miracle of finding true human and canine love that holiday season.
Totally shaken by these contemporary views of the holiday spirit as it relates to animals, I knew my only hope of banishing my despondent mood and finishing this commentary meant returning to the classics and those aspects of the human-animal bond that support me in the worst of times as well as the best. Among these I found a delightful period piece by Booth Tarkington entitled Beasley’s Christmas Party available from Amazon and Feedbooks as a free download. How could I resist a story, one of whose primary characters was a politician beloved by the people because he rarely spoke but always got the job done, and an imaginary Saint Bernard named Simpledoria who didn’t always come when called but would shake hands politely?
I’m happy to report that this strategy worked and reminded me that the holiday season remains a time of blessings for human and animals if we know where to look for them. This year I turn your attention to some in whom the true spirit of the holiday season still shines brightly:
These people and those like them create the true miracles of the holiday season, the kind that ensure peace and good will for animals as well as humans that last for years. They may comprise a minority and even what at times may appear to be a shrinking one. But in this time of hope, these people embody the true spirit of the season, and the one that the residents here in the little house on the hill share with you all this year.
If you have any comments regarding subject matter, favorite links, or anything you’d like to see discussed on or added to this site, please let me know at mm@mmilani.com.