Jon Katz has another great article on Slate.com. This one tells why you should not get your kids a puppy for Christmas.

Kids can be unreliable; kids change. The puppy melts their hearts for a few days or weeks. But then it needs to be walked every day (in the rain). It needs careful attention to its feeding and eliminating if it’s going to be housebroken effectively. It needs to be taught not to jump on Grandma. The kids oohing and aahing under the tree will soon move on to IMing and texting their friends. Few children outside of 4-H programs and Future Farmers of America want to be tied down to conscientious animal care, and their parents are often no more enthusiastic. Reality will soon supersede the Christmas morning fantasy. Read more…

He then goes on to explain that the only places with lots of puppies to sell for Christmas are pet stores that get their puppies from puppy mills. I have written of the evils of puppy mills before. You don’t want these kind of puppies.

He says reputable breeders don’t get involved in the “dogs for Christmas” mania. Get your puppy from a breeder if you really want one. It does not have to be for Christmas.

Jon Katz has also written a book, Katz on Dogs: A Commonsense Guide to Training and Living with Dogs (see picture above).

And below are some more books by Jon Katz:

More Dog Articles:

• Christmas Dog Photos
• Dog Christmas Crafts
• Vote for Cutest Puppy Photo
• Family Finds Missing Dog After 6 Years
• Five Mistakes Dog Owners Make During the Holidays