Can you give pets as gifts?

My friend is a very busy guy and often calls me when travelling from point A to B. Today, he informed me that he was just now on his way to sign a few papers and pick up a dog of his choice from an animal shelter. While one misfire in this whole arrangement is that he's allergic to dogs himself, although kept in check by medicine, he was going to surprise his girlfriend by giving the dog, puppy or not, as a gift to her.

My first thought was "Wait, isn't she in exchange right now?" and my second thought was how appropriate or usual is it to gift pets to other people? We all know the stereotypical packaged ponies and puppies from the movies, labradors or golden retrievers emerging from the striped hat boxes with holes poked on the top and all the awws and oohs of cuteness of a surprise pet popping out into their lives. But even then, you would think that the matter has been discussed thoroughly with the nearby parties involved and at least mentioned by the ones receiving the gift - "Wow, I'd really like to get a dog, you know?"

And that was when I asked my friend what his plan was. He thought that the ol' girlfriend would be coming to visit home in about three weeks and by then he would've had accommodated the dog into the home, and together they would welcome her into a house now filled with days of tailwagging. So, persistent as I am and knowing my friend and his antics all too well, I asked if she had ever even mentioned wanting a dog, or any pet. "Umm... not really." So, could there then be a possibility that she would actually really, really not want a dog or a pet of any kind, moreover as a surprise showed in her face? "Errrr.... oh. I guess that could be." That's a shitload of responsibility thrown on someone, and even if you'd say it was a gift for her and you would take care of the dog in every way, then why would have you supposedly given it as a present in the first place and not just bought it for yourself? "...I see what you mean."

So, I talked him out of it for now, at least until he can probe around the situation and if there is a want or a need for a doggie housemate in their near-future.


But it got me thinking - is this a common thing? Having bought a dog myself, we had to be on a waiting list for a long time and it was a mutual decision and agreement to get a pet, not another being just thrown into your care with a snap of the fingers. Sure it's faster, cheaper or even free sometimes to go to shelters or receive lil' newborn pets from farms, friends etc. But is it appropriate to give a living thing to someone as a surprise gift?