35 Dogs Were Allowed To Pick Their Own Christmas Gifts At Animal Shelter, And Here’s What Happened
It’s that time of the year when all people try to be good and kind, put others first, give special attention to their family and friends, and celebrate love, joy and peace. After all, Christmas is all about giving and sharing to thank others for the wonderful time spent together this year. But while we try to be good for our relatives and friends, we shouldn’t forget those who really need our attention.
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Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
Therefore, Dogs Trust Ireland’s Rehoming Center staff in Dublin made sure that the homeless dogs were not forgotten. The staff together with a bunch of supporters donated an array of gifts to give a little miracle to those who were once abandoned. What’s really special is that instead of the staff choosing the toy for each dog, they let the dogs pick their own Christmas gift. Dogs Trust Ireland even documented the joy of a number of excited dogs being led into a room full of toys where they got to choose their Christmas gift. “We recorded 35 dogs picking a toy and then spent (many) hours editing it to show the best reactions. One or two just wanted pets and snuggles more than a toy. The dogs were let in one by one, so we didn’t have to worry about any of them wanting the same toy” – explained Dogs Trust Ireland to Bored Panda.
Happy
Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
Esme
Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
“In 2017, we decided to do Secret Santa Paws for the dogs, where staff members bought a long-term dog a present specifically for them, and we recorded it and got a great reaction. In 2018, we wanted to do something different, so again the staff donated toys, but we thought the dogs might like to pick their own. So we lined them up, and it was the best day… the dogs were SO happy and watching them was just amazing. So we did it again this year, and combined supporter donations from under our tree in the reception with staff toy donations” – said Dogs Trust Ireland. As seen in the video posted by them, the staff carefully arranged all the toys on the floor and then one by one let the dogs go into the room. The dogs were super excited to get to choose their gifts out of many options. While some dogs immediately picked their Christmas gift, others took some time to inspect each one to find the perfect fit.
Puppies
Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
Dogs Trust Ireland is the largest dog welfare charity in Ireland, and have been active since 2005. They focus on rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming dogs of all shapes, sizes, colors and breeds to loving homes. As they write on their Facebook page, they are “working towards the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction.” They promise that they will “never destroy a healthy dog.”
Kenneth
Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
Max
Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
“As you will see, deciding on which toy was a big decision for some dogs and some delighted in the squeakiest toy they could find,” Dogs Trust Ireland wrote on their Facebook page. We should admit that just by seeing the joy of these lovely dogs we can certainly feel the Christmas spirit floating in the air!
Tiny
Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
Buddy
Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
“We put a pause on adoptions over Christmas every year, so the dogs in the video are still with us, but we hope to find them their Forever Homes in the new year! We have had other shelters lining up toys and letting the dogs pick them. and they have tagged us in their posts, which is amazing! Sniffing the toys and picking one out requires concentration for the dogs, and really brings out their different personalities. It’s just fantastic for us to see them being so happy over something so simple, and we really, really hope this will help them all get adopted in 2020!”
Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
Sidney
Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
Porkie
Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
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Image credits: DogsTrustIreland
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MY crippled Greyhound rescue did not know what a toy was or what to do with it.The high-light of the month was when we went to the pet shop to order his kibble.A great display counter filled with goodies and he was allowed to pick out what he wanted.lots of sniffing,a few furtive licks and then zoomed in on the dried pigs ear.He would always carry it home in his mouth,drooling a lot.Once settled in his bed he would savour it,taking a long while to eat it....My little boy was special...I miss him so much..
It's heartbreaking - you gave him a great life and you'll always have those wonderful memories. I feel for you as I've lost much loved pets. Hurts so much, but it is worth it.
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Our dog training class does this every year, it's so much fun to watch them sniff out what they want to play with/eat!!
After years of getting toys without consulting my dogs I started doing this and it's wonderful. They get the toys THEY want. So many companies make dog toys that appeal to humans: cute dragons, certain colors, etc. When I do this non-dog people think I'm crazy. They're right! I'm crazy happy when my dogs are happy and content. Only way to live.
When petsmart used to have toy bins along the bottom of the shelf my jack russel decided to jump into the bins and basically swim through them, came out the other side with a toy. The unbridled joy was so fun to watch. She did not make a mess.
My tiny cavapoo did that in a garden centre with their Christmas decorations!
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No reason for these dogs to be in a shelter. Social media and sites like this need to stop promoting purebreed dogs and post more threads like this.
This made my Christmas. The happiness the dogs showed with their toy was the best present. In our family we don't do gifts, we make a donation in the person's name to a charity of their choice- it's worked out so much better in giving rather than the endless commercialism and spending money on unnecessary and unwanted gifts.
Load More Replies...
I love the German Shepherd. He just needed to touch all of them before making a decision.
Not going to lie, this is one of the few times that something labelled as cute on social media IS cute, without underlying issues of abuse ect. that is ignored. I appreciate that the animals seemed to get enough time to pick a toy and I counted more than 35 toys so there would not be problems with the last dog not really getting a choice. The animals also appeared to be healthy and happy.
The puppies just didn't know what to do XD too cute... I love how the GSD went about it. "Hmm... I shall narrow them down by ruling out the least squeaky with my solid methodology".
I have been privileged to have lived with 12 "rejected" cats. But only three dogs. This was a lovely idea and thread. Thank you all volunteers! ... Currently I have a 14 year old cat. ( just adopted this year). He is scared of almost everything, so a dog is just not possible till he passes. ... also can not afford to get the fences fixed just yet.
Beautiful, wishing them all loving homes in the very near future! Such a wonderful idea to let all the doggos choose. The best kind of Christmas spirit!
The German Shepard was so... GERMAN: methodical, careful, precise... Going through all the toys; *noses* nope, *lick* not that... *taste n' mouth* closer, but not quite right... LOL
The utter joy of searching for the perfect toy. Can you imagine the kennals that night with all of the squeeky, squeeky, squeeky?
Here you can find all the music you like. Various DJs, remixes. https://electroclap.com/
Pay attention. Breed types aren't necessarily aggressive - PEOPLE make them that way.
Load More Replies...
MY crippled Greyhound rescue did not know what a toy was or what to do with it.The high-light of the month was when we went to the pet shop to order his kibble.A great display counter filled with goodies and he was allowed to pick out what he wanted.lots of sniffing,a few furtive licks and then zoomed in on the dried pigs ear.He would always carry it home in his mouth,drooling a lot.Once settled in his bed he would savour it,taking a long while to eat it....My little boy was special...I miss him so much..
It's heartbreaking - you gave him a great life and you'll always have those wonderful memories. I feel for you as I've lost much loved pets. Hurts so much, but it is worth it.
Load More Replies... Our dog training class does this every year, it's so much fun to watch them sniff out what they want to play with/eat!!
After years of getting toys without consulting my dogs I started doing this and it's wonderful. They get the toys THEY want. So many companies make dog toys that appeal to humans: cute dragons, certain colors, etc. When I do this non-dog people think I'm crazy. They're right! I'm crazy happy when my dogs are happy and content. Only way to live.
When petsmart used to have toy bins along the bottom of the shelf my jack russel decided to jump into the bins and basically swim through them, came out the other side with a toy. The unbridled joy was so fun to watch. She did not make a mess.
My tiny cavapoo did that in a garden centre with their Christmas decorations!
Load More Replies... No reason for these dogs to be in a shelter. Social media and sites like this need to stop promoting purebreed dogs and post more threads like this.
This made my Christmas. The happiness the dogs showed with their toy was the best present. In our family we don't do gifts, we make a donation in the person's name to a charity of their choice- it's worked out so much better in giving rather than the endless commercialism and spending money on unnecessary and unwanted gifts.
Load More Replies... I love the German Shepherd. He just needed to touch all of them before making a decision.
Not going to lie, this is one of the few times that something labelled as cute on social media IS cute, without underlying issues of abuse ect. that is ignored. I appreciate that the animals seemed to get enough time to pick a toy and I counted more than 35 toys so there would not be problems with the last dog not really getting a choice. The animals also appeared to be healthy and happy.
The puppies just didn't know what to do XD too cute... I love how the GSD went about it. "Hmm... I shall narrow them down by ruling out the least squeaky with my solid methodology".
I have been privileged to have lived with 12 "rejected" cats. But only three dogs. This was a lovely idea and thread. Thank you all volunteers! ... Currently I have a 14 year old cat. ( just adopted this year). He is scared of almost everything, so a dog is just not possible till he passes. ... also can not afford to get the fences fixed just yet.
Beautiful, wishing them all loving homes in the very near future! Such a wonderful idea to let all the doggos choose. The best kind of Christmas spirit!
The German Shepard was so... GERMAN: methodical, careful, precise... Going through all the toys; *noses* nope, *lick* not that... *taste n' mouth* closer, but not quite right... LOL
The utter joy of searching for the perfect toy. Can you imagine the kennals that night with all of the squeeky, squeeky, squeeky?
Here you can find all the music you like. Various DJs, remixes. https://electroclap.com/
Pay attention. Breed types aren't necessarily aggressive - PEOPLE make them that way.
Load More Replies...
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