Because she has nothing better to do on Christmas Eve

[customersruinmylife]

I have become quite friendly towards a lady who owns and runs her own pet store. She gave me loads of advice when I adopted my rabbit, so I frequently go back there for supplies. She is very friendly, and always asks how the rabbit is whenever I go in. I went in today.

L: Hi there! Just stocking up are you?
Me: Yeah, just getting the last lot of bedding and treats before Christmas.
L: Ah well, I bet he'll love that. Don't forget to buy him a Christmas gift!
Me: Oh I won't.
L: It's that horrible time of year again. Business is booming, but all I want to do is strangle most of the customers.
Me: Haha. I don't blame you. What are they doing?
L: Well, it's the parents mainly. We get a lot of them buying their children animals for Christmas. So with the animals, they also want to buy things like cages, toys, feeding bowls, beds, hutches, everything.
Me: Well, that sounds OK.
L: Yes, it's great for business, however, they all expect me to deliver all of this, animal included to their house on Christmas Eve.
Me: Oh no.
L: And that's not all! It must be late enough in the evening so that their kids have gone to bed! That way their little angels will think Santa delivered their animals while they were sleeping.
Me: Oh my God.
L: Yes, so I have ruined quite a few Christmases this year! But if I were to agree to this, I may as well call myself Santa Claus, because I would be up all night delivering presents.
Me: Good for you for standing up to them.
L: And then there are the ones that don't seem to understand that I do not have a warehouse of cages and hutches out the back! Anyway, I'm ranting now. Have a great day.

So now the customers expect people to act like Santa, and drive door to door so that the kids don't find out the awful truth

[LillFilly]

I never heard of anyone demanding this before!

Sadly, my first thought was of how many of those poor animals are going to get returned/dumped at shelters/abandoned because the kids don't take care of them once the novelty wears off...

[customersruinmylife]

I never heard of anyone demanding this before!

Sadly, my first thought was of how many of those poor animals are going to get returned/dumped at shelters/abandoned because the kids don't take care of them once the novelty wears off...

I know. There is one thing I have learned from having my rabbit, and that is that they are NOT pets for children. They are a lot of work and can't just be shut up in their hutch all day.

I love mine to pieces though. He acts more like a dog than a rabbit. Whenever I get home, he runs up to see me, wanting me to pet him.

[zombiequeen]

My mum kept the one pet we got for Christmas (a hamster) in a room that we weren't allowed in (either their bedroom or the storage room) until Christmas Eve. Still, it was because we were good kids and didn't go looking for our presents that we even got the hamster. Taught us a lot about taking care of something, and how to share, and how to deal with death and illness. Good hamster...his name was Peaches.

Good for that lady, for standing up for herself.
That reminds me...I have to get a gift for our lizard...maybe I'll get her crickets or some greens for Christmas.

[bhskittykatt]

If I were the pet shop owner I'd consider doing it...if they paid me plenty of extra cash and I didn't have plans for that evening. To expect such a service for free, though, is completely absurd.

I love [my rabbit] to pieces though. He acts more like a dog than a rabbit. Whenever I get home, he runs up to see me, wanting me to pet him.

I had a guinea pig like that once who I thought was part dog. He'd actually climb up to your face and start licking it!

[customersruinmylife]

I had a guinea pig like that once who I thought was part dog. He'd actually climb up to your face and start licking it!

My aunt rescued a kitten that had been abandoned. It was tiny, only a couple of weeks old, but she took it in. The problem was that she already owned three dogs.

The kitten was brought up by the dogs, and acts just like a dog. It understands sit, beg and stay. It also has to be taken walks with the other three dogs. My aunt always gets funny looks, walking down the streets with three labs and a ginger cat attached to a lead.

[chainedbarista]

*rant*

giving an animal for a present is one the worst things a parent can do; not only is it stressful for the animal (new enviornment, high activity, too many people), there things that the animal can get a hold of that can threaten its life (ornaments, especially garlands and tinsel, chocolate, poultry bones, etc.).

giving a pet is fine, just make sure that it's been discussed and is an actual want, rather than a spur of the moment decision. giving the pet after christmas is a better choice; the excitement has died down and the animal will be able to adapt better. too many pets end up in shelters because mom and dad didn't think their decision through.
*end rant*
expecting a home delivery of said creature and all the accessories? someone thinks they have a mighty bank balance and a high sense of personal worth.

[Cookie]

My parents arranged for me to get a parakeet on Christmas Eve when I was a kid. Not something we'd do now knowing more about pets and their needs. It all worked out, though, because I've been a bird lover ever since.

HOWEVER, they did not expect a pet store owner to take their Christmas Eve and play Santa. They did, however, ask a young couple from our church to help out. They dressed as elves and showed up on Christmas Eve with a little blue parakeet and a sad story about how Santa didn't think he'd survive the trip on the sleigh. It was very cute and I bought every word of it.

[Pagan]

I love mine to pieces though. He acts more like a dog than a rabbit. Whenever I get home, he runs up to see me, wanting me to pet him.

I'm jealous. I'd love to have a bunny, but I am so freaking allergic to them.

[Merriweather]

*rant*

giving an animal for a present is one the worst things a parent can do; not only is it stressful for the animal (new enviornment, high activity, too many people), there things that the animal can get a hold of that can threaten its life (ornaments, especially garlands and tinsel, chocolate, poultry bones, etc.).

giving a pet is fine, just make sure that it's been discussed and is an actual want, rather than a spur of the moment decision. giving the pet after christmas is a better choice; the excitement has died down and the animal will be able to adapt better. too many pets end up in shelters because mom and dad didn't think their decision through.
*end rant*
expecting a home delivery of said creature and all the accessories? someone thinks they have a mighty bank balance and a high sense of personal worth.

I SO agree with all you said. Perhaps a bird or hamster in a cage might not be quite as bad (though still not ideal), a little puppy or kitten is high maintenance. Just when they need constant attention to be taken out often, watched ever so carefully so they don't eat something toxic (like lots of holiday plants and decorations), and when a quiet environment is extremely emportant for them to begin to feel safe and secure in their new home, not to mention they need to bond with these strangers who are now family members, instead they're taken to a louder, busier, more crowded house than ever, where everyone is totally distracted by all that's going on, and perils are everywhere.

It's a great time for a child to learn patience, and the joy of anticipation, just give them a promise of one after the holidays. When we adopted our Yorkie, we made arrangements with a breeder to take one from a litter that would be ready to go home about a week after Christmas. On Christmas day we gave our daughter a little ceramic Yorkie, holding a scroll I had made that explained how "I'm just a stand-in for a real little Yorkie who is getting ready to leave it's mom and waiting to be adopted by you". And in the week before goint to get the puppy, she got to go to the pet shops and pick out a bed, and some toys, and so forth. It even solved that after-Christmas let-down that so often happens after the gifts are all unwrapped and the excitement of the day is over - she still had something to look forward to, and time to learn about taking care of it as well.

Remember all those old ads from the ASPCA? A dog is for life, not just for Christmas. Still holds true, for all animals.

[MoonCat]

Merriweather, that sounds like a great idea!

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

I love mine to pieces though. He acts more like a dog than a rabbit. Whenever I get home, he runs up to see me, wanting me to pet him.

...that is the most adorable mental image ever.

[Mr Hero]

I guess you can say the store owner has found a new PET peeve.

[XCashier]

My aunt always gets funny looks, walking down the streets with three labs and a ginger cat attached to a lead.

I would love to see that! Who's really the leader of that pack?!

And I agree 100% with chainedbarista. Animals are living creatures with feelings and intelligence, not fancy toys. They are a lot of responsibility and should not be given to someone who isn't sure they want one and isn't truly willing to take care of one. It's heartbreaking and maddening to see them disposed of when the owner gets bored, as if they're nothing more than a Happy Meal Toy.

[Dasota]

We just got a dog on Friday. He is not a Christmas present. All of us in the house had come to the agreement that we want a dog, and it just so happened that it's also December. He is a lot of work, and has caused me to be the worried mom ever since we got him.

I would also never expect someone else to give up their Christmas Eve to play Santa for EW parents.