Mabel the Rescue Dog

3 min read (Articles narrated by Mabel)

Christmas is right around the corner, which means many kids will be asking for puppies. Of course, a dog is a heartwarming gift if the humans love them and care for them forever, but sadly, that’s often not the case. Many families buy expensive designer puppies for their children on Christmas, but only end up surrendering them to a shelter months later when they end up being more work than the family expected. So, I always recommend that families adopt instead of shop for dogs on Christmas, but I have an even better Christmas gift: fostering!

Why Should You Foster a Dog for Christmas? (Or Any Time!)

A dog is a big commitment, so they shouldn’t be a surprise gift. Instead, a family should take a lot of time to consider getting a dog together. They should spend weeks or even months preparing their home for that furry friend. It’s especially important that they spend time teaching their kids how to behave around their new furry family member. But if you buy a surprise puppy for Christmas, then most of that can’t happen. Sadly, this is why so many Christmas puppies end up in shelters later on in life.

Instead of bringing home a permanent family member for Christmas, why not try fostering one around the holiday season? I understand that it might be difficult to get all the paperwork filled out by Christmas, but it’s a good idea for any time of the year. Even if you can’t do it this year, consider next Christmas or any other day in between.

Shelters dogs often don’t get a comfortable place to spend the holidays. So, by letting a foster dog spend Christmas with you, you’re helping them feel more comfortable while also getting your family used to having a dog. It can help you and your family members fully understand the level of commitment that a dog is, and then after fostering, you can decide if you’re ready to adopt a dog of your own or not. It’s a win-win for both you and the dogs!

Fostering Can Make You a Better Dog Parent

Fostering isn’t only rewarding short term, but it can also help make you a better person in the long run. After fostering, you’ll likely want to adopt instead of shop because you’ll get to see first hand how much a loving home can change a rescue dog’s life. Therefore, you’ll be saving even more dogs from there.

Fostering a dog is also great for preparing you for life with a dog. It can help you get into the routine of a dog parent without having to commit to that dog forever and without having to buy all the expensive supplies and medical needs. Oftentimes, humans think they’re ready for a dog just because they see a cute canine, but a foster dog can help them see how much time, money, and effort a new dog will be.

Hopefully, you’ll love fostering so much that you’ll want to keep doing it. The more humans that foster, the more dogs that can be taken out of kill shelters. But if fostering isn’t for you, then that’s okay too. Just remember that if you want a dog this Christmas, please open your heart to a rescue dog. They need a warm, comfortable home more than anyone this season.

Like my blog? Please follow me on Facebook!