Pet owning rant

[TsPoet]

I think it's way more mature to realize that you no longer have the resources to do it all ( ie, take care of a pet and everything else) than to keep it and ignore it. Granted, turning it over to a shelter seems heartless, but is it more or less heartless to toss a dog that you don't have time for out in the yard or put it on a chain, where it can bark all day out of frustration and neglect, and then destroy things when it has the chance for the same reasons?

I agree, so I would do what it takes to give them the life they deserve. I am really really busy, I have very little time 'for myself', because I have a duty to my dogs. If I had kids, that wouldn't change, I'd just have to bring the kids with and teach them the same wonderful duty.
But, I'm extreme, my SO is getting rather annoyed with me. I just signed up for January dog classes:
Monday night "Train the trainers - learn to be a better trainer of humans to train their dogs"
Tuesday night "Building Drive and Motivation" - Our goal is to teach, enhance and maintain the drive needed to be successful in performance sports through effective play methods.
Wednesday night - I'm assisting a novice competition obedience class, then taking an "advanced novice competition obedience" class
Thursday night - advanced Rally.

I have 3 dogs, I feel my responsibility to them is to give them my undivided attention for at least 2 hour each a week. Plus, they get a 1-4 mile walk at least 6 days/wk. Plus, they are lap dogs when I read or watch TV.
Dogs are smarter and more social than people realize, they need and deserve interaction and exercise. I actually really dislike my neighbor - who has a french bulldog that sits outside by itself most of the time. And I'm bugged by my neighbor on the other side that has ?3? little terriers and a great dane and I rarely see them.
I have a couple of friends with dogs and children ranging from newborn to teenagers - and the dogs are a part of their lives, not a chore or a burden. The ones with teenagers are slowly turning over much of the dog handling to their kids. We have one 15 year old girl who just got her novice agility title with her pit bull.

I just remembered I took some photos fo Juliana (the 15 yr old) at a Barb Davis seminar last summer