If you have a dog and you’re sick of that saying and you’re sick of seeing the videos and the pictures on Facebook and the adverts for the puppy factories in the local papers as we draw nearer to Christmas .

If you can’t figure it out either… then help us spread this message so we can finally try and work out why people still give dogs as presents for Christmas?

If you are thinking about getting a dog at all, then there are better times to choose one. Like maybe the fortnight after Christmas when all the unwanted little tikes are brought to shelters across the country.

“We don’t have space… time… the money…” the excuses all come to the same thing every time… “we didn’t think it through.”

If nothing can prevent you from getting a dog this Christmas, maybe you are one of the few who will be able to offer a home to one of the lucky ones this winter. If that’s the case then please please read our very brief guide to choosing a dog for your family.

Firstly all dogs will require time, patience, love and effort. Your efforts will be well rewarded, but it’s not going to be an easy road for either of you. Dogs are like children and puppies in particular are just like their two legged counterparts. They will need feeding and toileting and cuddling and training.

They are living creatures with real emotions. They get excited, they get lonely… they get scared.

Looking after a dog is a huge responsibility, and you have to consider every conceivable factor. You’ll need to be able to feed it, and keep it in good health, look after its grooming and exercise. You’ll need to decide on a breed or a size. Do you live in town or in the city, do you have a garden? What about children? All these considerations and many others must be taken into account.

Our best advice if you are still insistent on getting a dog is to do some research. Every one is different and every breed unique, but they have traits. Labs are loyal and dappy, but they need lots of exercise. Schnauzers are smart as buttons and they don’t moult, but they love to bark. Retrievers love children almost as much as they love water, but you need to work out how much you love mud.

Big, small, girl, boy, pedigree or mutt… you need to decide what kind of best friend you want because once you’ve decided you’re both in it for the long haul.

If I can offer any advice to you, it would be to take a visit to the nearest animal shelter and try to work out why anyone could let their dog end up there. Shelters are often the bets place to find a dog anyway and yes sadly you ca even find puppies there sometimes. Take you time and ask questions the staff want to find the right home for their dogs too so it’s a good idea to listen to their advice… and yes it’s a cliché, but they are for life …and if you treat them properly they’ll help you make the most of yours.