Tuesday is trash pick-up day in my Gahanna subdivision. Just like every other day, I have to make my early morning trip around the neighborhood with my dogs. Looking at the endless succession of trash cans, recyclables and even of toys, household items and furniture is a good reminder of why some refer to our society as a throwaway culture.

The period after Christmas will provide even further testimony to the degree to which we discard and throw away so much.

One aspect of this that will go relatively unnoticed after Christmas is the number of dogs that we will throwaway. Of course, discarding dogs is a year around activity, at the rate of millions per year. Estimates vary, but it is likely that we euthanize in the range of 4 – 8 million dogs annually because we simply have too many more dogs than people who are willing to provide homes for them.

Now we are into that period of the year when many people are thinking about puppies for Christmas. Pet stores are increasing their advertising overtures, 102 Dalmatians is at the movie theaters, breeders have their litters ready and the public is going on a puppy-buying spree.

Simultaneously, our national animal shelter system is daily euthanizing dogs by the thousands. The more fortunate throw-away dogs are picked up and taken in by the extensive network of people who devote an inordinate amount of time, effort and resources toward the task of rescuing and re-homing dogs before they are killed.

Dog rescue groups, breed specific and otherwise, consist of thousands of people across the country, working via the internet, to rescue, rehabilitate and eventually re-home thousands of throwaway dogs. If it were not for their efforts, the animal shelters would be even more overwhelmed with unwanted dogs and many hundreds of thousands more would be euthanized.

A number of factors contribute to this American tragedy of throwaway dogs. First is the irresponsible breeding and selling of dogs. This includes the numerous mass breeding farms, many identified as puppy-mills, and the pet stores that get their puppies from them. It includes disreputable breeders who are more interested in turning a profit than promoting the well being of their particular breed. There are also thousands of so-called back-yard breeders whose sole interest is in breeding and selling puppies without much consideration given to the well being of dogs. Then there are the thousands of dog owners who fail to spay and neuter their dogs thus contributing many more "mutts" to the overpopulation pool, most of which will be killed within their first couple of years of existence.

If you are determined to have a puppy under the tree on Christmas morning, here are some considerations to ponder before you make the purchase. A puppy is not a gift but a life long commitment and it takes a lot of time, effort and financial resources to raise a puppy. A puppy needs lots of personal attention including training, and regular socialization into the human and dog communities, many trips to the veterinarian, numerous toys and pet supplies, and someone to care for it when you are out of town. Puppies are cute and cuddly and bring great joy to the people who care for them, but they are a big investment. The reality is that once the cuteness and the novelty wear off and they begin to become full size dogs, they often become dispensable and end up in the pound. That usually happens beginning around April when the already taxed shelters start to become flooded with throwaway Christmas puppies.

If you care about dogs and take seriously our obligation to the companion animal that has been domesticated for thousands of years and routinely shares our lives, then you might want to reconsider the purchase of a Christmas puppy. It looks cute, cuddly and warm right now, but it will be a sad, tearful day, come spring or summer, when you have to turn that same little companion over to the animal shelter system, probably to be put to sleep.

Skip Cornett, a Gahanna resident, is Director of Continuing Education at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Bexley. He assists with dog rescue and serves as a volunteer at the Capital Area Humane Society.