A Furry Christmas : Gift Puppies Fare Better if Brought Home After the Holidays, Pet Care Experts Advise

Lynda Kaminsky sold all six of her yellow Labrador puppies for $350 each within a week of placing a newspaper ad. The Newbury Park bookkeeper is the first to admit that timing Cassie’s breeding for late summer paid off.

“They will be six weeks old to the day on Christmas Eve,” Kaminsky said of Cassie’s litter. “And as it turns out, every one of them is going to be a surprise present.”

Breeders offering Christmas puppies for sale have crowded classified advertising sections of newspapers since the day after Thanksgiving. All around Ventura County, dog sellers are keenly aware that a puppy with a ribbon around its neck is often an irresistible purchase during the holidays.

But the rush and commotion of the season can also make this a bad time to bring an animal home, said Kathy Jenks, director of the Ventura County Animal Regulation Department. Whether buying from a mall pet shop or a breeder or adopting from one of the county’s three shelters, families should wait until the day after Christmas to bring a new puppy home, Jenks advises.

“There is so much craziness going on at Christmas that it can be overwhelming for a young dog,” she said. “People are not used to keeping an eye on the dog, relatives are coming in and out, the pet gets out and we end up with a lot of crunched Christmas puppies.”

Tinsel, shiny ornaments, Christmas tree preservative, electrical cords and the abundance of chocolate around the holidays also present dangers for new dogs, she said. Puppies may try to chew on decorations and electrical cords, and chocolate is a poison to dogs, Jenks said.

“It’s such a terribly traumatic time for dogs that we suggest people wrap up a leash, a collar or other supplies with a gift certificate,” she said. “And then come down to the shelter the next day and adopt the animal when things have calmed down.”

Sales of pets of all types tend to pick up around the holidays, said Lizabeth Vela, 25, animal care manager at the Animal House pet shop in the Buenaventura Mall. Her store has been selling a lot of birds, snakes and tarantulas in the past two weeks, and three cats found new homes in the last three days, she said.

“But puppies by far are the most popular for Christmas gifts,” Vela said. “People look into their eyes and just can’t resist.”

Whether buying or adopting, Ventura County’s prospective puppy-owners can look for the perfect fur ball in several places.

Pet stores generally charge more for puppies than breeders but offer the convenience of picking out a pet while strolling through the mall, Vela said. The Animal House guarantees a puppy against disease or infection for one year and includes in the price a visit to a veterinarian, she said. The pet shop’s prices range from $499 for cocker spaniels and terriers to $1,699 for an English bulldog, available by special order only, she said.

“English bulldogs are hard to breed because the puppies are so big,” Vela said. “A lot of time, they have to do a C-section on the mom to deliver.”

Dalmatians, at $599 each, have been popular this year because of the release of the Disney videotape “101 Dalmatians,” Vela said. For an extra $80, the Animal House will have Santa Claus deliver the puppy, she said.

Jenks advises that people looking for purebred puppies find a reputable local breeder so that they can inspect both the dam and the sire. She suggests calling the American Kennel Club for information on local breeders or reading newspaper ads.

For amateur breeders like Kaminsky, timing is everything.

Kaminsky is so pleased with the result of Cassie’s first litter that she is considering buying another female to increase the number of dogs available for sale each year.

But Nancy Craigie of Oxnard, another amateur breeder, has had less luck. Her St. Bernard, Maggie, produced nine pure-bred puppies that are now six weeks old. But despite advertising in several papers for several weeks, she has only been able to sell one as of late last week.

“We’ve had a lot of phone calls, but when it comes to people actually getting a puppy, they don’t want to pay the price,” Craigie said. The pups go for $500 to $800, depending on their markings, she said.

June Sheridan of Thousand Oaks said she has sold four of her champion stock Lhasa apso puppies in the past few weeks; she and her husband, Fred, are not professional breeders. Their dog, Princess Melody of the Conejo, produced a litter of seven right on time for the holidays. They are selling for up to $300, she said.

“When you see them, you have to fall in love with them,” she said. “They look like little fur balls.”

There is one other option for procuring a pet that Jenks hopes some families will consider: adopting from one of the county’s three animal shelters.

“They are recycled pets, but they are just as lovable,” Jenks said. “We send back AKC papers every week for animals that we have to destroy because nobody wanted them.

“If you’re not going to be showing a dog, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good animal,” she said.

The county operates shelters in Simi Valley and Oxnard, she said, and the Humane Society of Ventura County in Ojai also offers pets for adoption. Prospective families can pick out a pet this week, but won’t be able to take the animal home until after Christmas because of the possible danger, she said.

No matter where the animals come from, puppies as presents make a very special gift, breeders and dog enthusiasts say.

“It’s something warm and cuddly and lovable,” Kaminsky said. “It’s something you can curl up in front of the fire with.”

Sources for Puppies

Pet shops sell puppies directly from the store or will arrange a sale through a local breeder. Check the yellow pages for listings. Puppies are also available through the following sources:

* American Kennel Club--The AKC’s headquarters in Raleigh, N.C., lists national clubs for 135 breeds. Call (919) 233-9767 for free information. The AKC also has a 900 number that lists the name and phone number of local reputable breeders. Call (900) 407-7877 at 99 cents a minute.

* Ventura County Animal Regulation Department--Adoptions of mature dogs, puppies and cats are available at county-operated animal shelters at 600 Aviation Drive, Camarillo, 388-4341, and at 670 W. Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley, 388-4341.

* Humane Society of Ventura County--The Humane Society runs an animal shelter where pets can be adopted. 402 Bryant St., Ojai, 646-6505.