Is It Ok To Buy A Pet As A Gift?

Is it ok to give a Pet as a gift for Christmas?  It seems like it could be a dangerous gift to give.  Dangerous for the pet that is.  Maybe if you know the person very well and you know they want and can provide proper care for a pet it would be ok.  You see it in the movies all the time when someone gets a cute puppy for Christmas.  Is it still acceptable to do this or have those days passed us by?  I found an article from Good Housekeeping from last year.  Check it out below.

Good Housekeeping