' 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 of his chain
and into the trash.

The moon on the breast
of the new-fallen snow
Gave the 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 years Christmas present,
now painfully thin and sick..

More rapid than eagles
he called the dogs name.
And the dog ran to him,
despite all his pain;

"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER!
now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID!
on, DONDER 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 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!"

- Author Unknown -

"A dog is for life, not just for Christmas"

The phrase was created by Clarissa Baldwin, the former Chief Executive of the charity, to reduce the number of dogs which are abandoned as unwanted in 1978.