T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
With no thought of the dog filling their heads;
And mamma in her kerchief and I in my cap,
Knew he was cold, but didn't care about that.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter;
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Figuring the dog was free of his chain and into the trash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a luster of mid-day to objects below;
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus- with eyes full of tears.

He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,
Last year's Christmas present, now painfully thin and sick;
More rapid than eagles he called the dog's name,
And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain.

"Now Dasher, now Dancer, on Prancer, and Vixen,
On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall,
Let's find this dog a home, where he'll be loved by all."

I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,
For Santa had made one thing quite clear;
The gift of a dog is not just for the season,
We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons.

In our haste to think of the kids a gift,
There was one important thing that we missed.
A dog should be family, and cared for the same,
You don't give a gift and put it on a chain.

And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
"You weren't giving a gift! You were giving a life!"

PLEASE think twice about getting a dog for the kids for Christmas...a dog is a lifetime commitment and children sometimes lose their excitement over the cute puppy, some as early as January 1st! 

You need to make sure YOU are ready for a long-term commitment to your new furkid!