OK,
all you excited prospective Poodle owners --
I know you're dying to get your
hands on an adorable little fuzzball, and the holidays seem like
the perfect time if there are kids involved, and I have to admit
that even I got my pup in early December, but let me dish it to
you straight --
A reputable breeder is
going to be super cautious about sending one of their precious, protected little
gems straight into the frenzied whirling confusion and
excitement that is holiday time in most households.
Look at it from the puppy's viewpoint -- homesick
for Mom, these new people are nice but maybe you're getting a
little TOO much handling, things are crazy and noisy, big feet
coming and going everywhere and guests don't remember to watch
out for the pup! And with everything else you have to do
around the holidays, do you REALLY want to be paying
minute-by-minute attention to housebreaking, multiple feedings
per day and biweekly vet visits (and that bout of diarrhea
brought on by someone slipping that sweetie pup a taste of a
naughty treat)?
Oh please oh please, think
about waiting just a couple of weeks until the wrappings are put away,
the new toys have worn out the first set of batteries and things
have settled into exhausted semi-normalcy. Consider
bringing your new curly baby home
when you can give a few weeks of intensive, undivided attention
and bonding. We'll all be so much happier that way. |