Twas 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 head.
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 the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Figuring the dog was free and into the trash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of midday to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus - his eyes full of tears.
He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,
Last years Christmas present, now 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! Now, 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 Claus 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 giving 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, then put it on a chain.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
"You weren't given a gift! You were given a life!"
Dear Theresa,
I saw this today, and it broke my heart. People need to be reminded at this time of year not to give an animal as a gift, unless it is wanted, and you can be sure it will be taken care of.
Thanks for passing the word around.
Linda
Editors Note: Let's take Linda's advice and remember that a pet given as a gift needs to be wanted and the receiver needs to be responsible for it for a long time. A dog can live quite a few years like a cat or a lot of other animals, so this 'gift' will be needed to be cared for quite a long time.
I am very glad Linda found this and shared it. Let's make sure any animal given as a pet will have a Merry Christmas and many wonderful New Year's with the new owner.
Thanks for reading this and please share it with others. The message is timely and good.
Theresa
Thanks Theresa, and I'll share with as many as I can.
Kat
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 head.
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 the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Figuring the dog was free and into the trash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of midday to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus - his eyes full of tears.
He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,
Last years Christmas present, now 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! Now, 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 Claus 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 giving 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, then put it on a chain.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
"You weren't given a gift! You were given a life!"
Dear Theresa,
I saw this today, and it broke my heart. People need to be reminded at this time of year not to give an animal as a gift, unless it is wanted, and you can be sure it will be taken care of.
Thanks for passing the word around.
Linda
Editors Note: Let's take Linda's advice and remember that a pet given as a gift needs to be wanted and the receiver needs to be responsible for it for a long time. A dog can live quite a few years like a cat or a lot of other animals, so this 'gift' will be needed to be cared for quite a long time.
I am very glad Linda found this and shared it. Let's make sure any animal given as a pet will have a Merry Christmas and many wonderful New Year's with the new owner.
Thanks for reading this and please share it with others. The message is timely and good.
Theresa
Thanks Theresa, and I'll share with as many as I can.
Kat
