HollyBee Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 My 11 yo dd really wants a puppy for Christmas. That's ALL she's talked about, and what she asked Santa for (when he arrived at our family get together, courtesy of Granny). We have 2 dogs already. We do not need another dog; we are not getting another dog. We have told her this repeatedly. Yet she persists. Any suggestions for what Santa could bring instead? Should we try to get something that's related sort of (like a stuffed puppy, Webkinz, whatever), or just go totally unrelated, like a bike (which was dh's suggestion--she does need a new one as her old one is too small). Help? Thanks! Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 What about a donation in her name to the Saint Francis Service Dogs association? If you contact them, they might even send your dd a photo of the pup she "sponsored." (But I'm the wrong one to be answering here. We have 3 adult dogs and a 10-mo-old puppy.) -Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Are your current dogs youngish? What about some kind of class or activity she could do with one of your current dogs? obedience, if they haven't done that yet, or maybe agility? ETA: Santa can't bring the actual class, of course, but a gift certificate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 The Humane Society's Popcorn Park Zoo in New Jersey has dogs for adoption. You can "sponsor"one and they send you a photo and an update every few months. I did it for many many years and it was really quite nice. My dog (a german shepherd) even got a "girlfriend". So I landed sponsoring 2 dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam101 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Something unrelated, I think a stuffed dog would just be a disappointment, unless she has already asked for that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I would go with the needed bike and ask if she'd like to donate time or old blankets, etc to a shelter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Santa doesn't bring live animals. Ever. Santa knows pets & Christmas don't mix; it's a bad time for animals to adjust to a new home; and far too many pets bought at Christmas end up at shelters in Jan-March. Even though you're not those kind of people, Santa finds it easier to just make a hard rule about this. You can tell her I said so - all the way from Canada, where Santa lives & where animal rescuers have convinced him to make this rule. :D Honestly, at this age, she's old enough to know that not everything she asks for appears. I would get her something completely unrelated & talk to her about what it is she wants to do with a puppy. Does she want to get involved in dog training, dog sport, join a club? She can do that with one of your dogs. Training an older dog has its own joys & immense rewards. All dogs can participate in something. RallyO is designed so that it's quite competitive and challenging, but even very elderly and handicapped dogs can compete & win ribbons. Freestyle dog dancing is something any dog can do. Competitive agility takes a certain type of dog but there are many recreational agility clubs in which pretty much any dog can 'compete' in fun matches - the jumps are just set really low & timers are off. Tracking is wonderful and fun and again, pretty much any dog can learn to track & have a lot of fun doing it. (tracking might be a bit boring for her though.....) Does she want to just look after an animal on her own? Perhaps a pet rat or a hamster would satisfy that need to nurture? Perhaps she'd like to volunteer at the local shelter or you'd like to start fostering animals for a rescue organization? Or what about a coupon for horseback riding lessons? Seems to me horses will distract most girls from dogs. Of course next Christmas she'll be asking for a horse...:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Perhaps she would like some animal that is hers to take care of and does not belong the whole family. I had a dwarf rabbit when I was young and loved him to death. With the attention they get from kids, they prove to be remarkably intelligent. Mine learned to hop up and down stairs, knew which floor grandma lived at (he visited a lot) stayed within the boundaries of the garden and came when called. They live in a cage (larger than guinea pigs or hamsters), are easy to train, don't seem to mind being handled a lot and are cuddly. You would need wood shavings or some kind of substrate for the cage, bunny pellets or hay daily and of course fresh water. Oh, and they need some kind of chewing stick. They can be left alone for a weekend but any longer would require a pet sitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I agree with Hornblower, Santa doesn't bring pets here either :) I would go with an unrelated gift, if she needs a new bike, go for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I'd offer a rat. It's basically a pocket-sized dog :) easy to care for, easy to love, and would definitely become a member of the family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 How about a gerbil? They only live a few years.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Be very, very careful when you say your child can't have a puppy. When we told dd that, her next requests (accompanied by reams of research and hours of related videos) were: a lemur, a camel, a squirrel monkey, and musk ox. I let her run with each idea and encouraged her to do her research for each one so that she could come to her own realization why they would not be ideal pets for her. But watch out, by the time we got to the musk ox phase, a puppy was looking pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Why not have her join a dog 4-H club so that she can work on the book to relearn all there is to know BEFORE getting a puppy. Also, could you find a obedience/rally/agility class she could take with one of your other pets? Then she could learn how to bond with them. My final thought is volunteer time. A weekly date for help walking dogs,cleaning dogs,etc at a local shelter or rescue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Santa doesn't bring live animals. Ever. Santa knows pets & Christmas don't mix; it's a bad time for animals to adjust to a new home; and far too many pets bought at Christmas end up at shelters in Jan-March. Even though you're not those kind of people, Santa finds it easier to just make a hard rule about this. You can tell her I said so - all the way from Canada, where Santa lives & where animal rescuers have convinced him to make this rule. :D Honestly, at this age, she's old enough to know that not everything she asks for appears. I would get her something completely unrelated & talk to her about what it is she wants to do with a puppy. Does she want to get involved in dog training, dog sport, join a club? She can do that with one of your dogs. Training an older dog has its own joys & immense rewards. All dogs can participate in something. RallyO is designed so that it's quite competitive and challenging, but even very elderly and handicapped dogs can compete & win ribbons. Freestyle dog dancing is something any dog can do. Competitive agility takes a certain type of dog but there are many recreational agility clubs in which pretty much any dog can 'compete' in fun matches - the jumps are just set really low & timers are off. Tracking is wonderful and fun and again, pretty much any dog can learn to track & have a lot of fun doing it. (tracking might be a bit boring for her though.....) Does she want to just look after an animal on her own? Perhaps a pet rat or a hamster would satisfy that need to nurture? Perhaps she'd like to volunteer at the local shelter or you'd like to start fostering animals for a rescue organization? Or what about a coupon for horseback riding lessons? Seems to me horses will distract most girls from dogs. Of course next Christmas she'll be asking for a horse...:lol: Ditto. Pets should never be gifts and no one should ever buy another person a pet. Pets pick their people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Or what about a coupon for horseback riding lessons? Seems to me horses will distract most girls from dogs. Of course next Christmas she'll be asking for a horse...:lol: My dd started horseback riding lessons because of her incessant requests for a horse. I figured that learning to ride, as well as learning to care for a horse, would give her pause on her requests. It hasn't really, but she at least has access to one 2x a month! I think maybe seeing if your dd can volunteer at a no-kill shelter for an hour or so a week might help. At least she'll get to be around puppies for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st_claire Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 I agree that Santa can't bring pets. His factory is for making toys. If they had puppies there, they might chase the elves! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 One Christmas we gave our children the joint gift of a bunny. It was great and the bunny, now a fat little rabbit, is still loved 5 years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangearrow Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Ditto. Pets should never be gifts and no one should ever buy another person a pet. Pets pick their people. I agree, on theory. But, if someone were to surprise me with a puppy this Christmas, I surely wouldn't complain. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyBee Posted December 15, 2009 Author Share Posted December 15, 2009 Thanks for all the replies and ideas! She has a hermit crab and fish. Dh says absolutely no rodents. We almost got him to agree to a rat a few months ago, but when dd actually held the rat, she didn't like it. Dh was very happy. :tongue_smilie: As far as horses/horseback riding--for a while, she wanted a horse and to learn to ride, since she has friends who have horses. They invited her to ride one day, and as soon as she got on the horse, it threw her (it was injured and they didn't know it at the time) and she hit a fence. She was scared and lost the skin off her back, and that was the end of the desire for a horse and/or to learn to ride. Again, dh was very happy. :001_rolleyes: His quote this time, "I'm sorry she got hurt, but that just saved me a lot of money." I do like the idea of having her take one of our dogs for agility training. I mentioned that to her and she thought it would be fun. I'm going to look more into that. After reading all the replies and talking to friends, dh and I decided on an iPod. She's old enough (11) and it's a totally unrelated gift. Not to mention it's a lot less upkeep! :lol: Thanks again, all--I appreciate it! Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 At age 11, does she believe in Santa? I would say the puppy thing is only an issue if she does. If she doesn't believe, I would tell her every day that a puppy is not an option and she will only disappoint herself on Christmas morning and perhaps ruin her whole day. A crying child on Christmas morning is so heartbreaking. I cried one year over a baby doll. I wanted that baby doll so much. My mom told me on Christmas day that she couldn't find it and figured the other baby doll was okay. It was not a shiny, happy Christmas day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crl Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 My DD is a lot younger than yours (mine's 6), but when she asked for a puppy or kitten for her birthday we talked to her about why we couldn't get another dog (one is enough in our small house/yard) or a cat (mommy is allergic). We did offer other alternatives since she wanted a pet of her own. So she got a beta fish which allowed my DS (age 3) to also have his own pet, a cleaning snail for the tank. My DD was ok with this alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginger Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Glad to know that I don't have the only 11 year old who still believes in Santa. And as with the others...Santa does not bring pets, NOR electronics such as IPods, Wii's, DS's etc... Santa's factory is for making toys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyBee Posted December 15, 2009 Author Share Posted December 15, 2009 Well, she knows the real deal about Santa, but she doesn't like it. Plus, her little brother (9 yo) does believe, so that all adds up to an 11 yo who gives all the signs of believing. We've always said, "If you don't believe, you don't receive." :D She knows she's not getting the puppy. I told her that Santa doesn't bring gifts that the parents don't want the kids to have. She's just really persistent. :glare: Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st_claire Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Glad to know that I don't have the only 11 year old who still believes in Santa. And as with the others...Santa does not bring pets, NOR electronics such as IPods, Wii's, DS's etc... Santa's factory is for making toys. We say Santa's elves are great at making electronic toys lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyBee Posted December 15, 2009 Author Share Posted December 15, 2009 We say Santa's elves are great at making electronic toys lol. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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