Pet owning rant

[Kiwi Stoker]

Sorry- just wanted to get this out of my system.

Why oh why do people get pets and then treat them as a thing that can be given away just because it doesn't suit them anymore?

The number of times I have seen "just had a new baby and cannot give enough time to XYZ?"

Just that someone I know got a dog and has had it for 13 years so dog is getting old. She had one baby and fostered the dog off to her parents. Baby two comes along and her brother who was at parent's house looking after dog is moving out so guess what? Dog get passed onto someone else.

Yes I suppose at least they found the dog a loving home but why oh why did you not honor the committment you made when you first got the dog. What was wrong with you having the baby and the dog? You are at home most of the day and go for walks right with your baby? Dog is very small.

Don't get a pet in the first place if you cannot multi task.

Feeling better now. Thanks!

[Koronin]

I agree with you.

[salsabike]

Me too.

[sgtiger]

I had to re-home my adopted furbaby, Leela, because my asthmatic son developed a severe allergy to her. It broke my heart to have to let her go, so it makes me upset to hear that people give up their pets so easily.

I have some friends who don't want their dogs because they don't feel they have the space anymore. They moved into a four bedroom house with a decent sized yard that backs to a huge park with trails and green spaces not too long ago. Our mutual friends, who were staying with them with two dogs of their own, just moved out. Not enough space??? We all think the real reason is they are tired of their dogs misbehaving, which is not the dogs' fault. They are given conflicting info. from the couple all the time. Fortunately another mutual friend, S, is taking them in. I think the doggies will be a lot happier with S, and they will have five acres to explore with goats to perhaps learn how to herd.

[Trek-chick]

When I volunteered at the Humane Society, I saw people do this many times. It broke my heart, and this one I worked at, was NOT a no kill shelter . I had to stop working there after a while, because I could not handle it any more.

[Giulianna23]

I know the feeling. I own 2 Jack Russell Terries male and female..they are not as good behaved as I would like to..but they are not bad either. I took care of a friends dog the other day (7 year old Beagle) for 5 days....OMG that dog is so good...so well behaved...so gentle and cute...

Well she have a 10 month old baby and she told me the day she came to pick him up that she was giving him away because she couldn't take care of him nor her husband because of the baby. And I was like... Jeesh...I wish my dogs were as good as him. If I didn't have 2 dogs already I would have kept him. SHe already gave him away who knows to who. I just don't understand how can people do that after that pet loves you to death.. its like giving away your child....

[Eden]

When I volunteered at the Humane Society, I saw people do this many times. It broke my heart, and this one I worked at, was NOT a no kill shelter . I had to stop working there after a while, because I could not handle it any more.

+1 Trek-chick.... I volunteered for a time at a Humane Society too. I thought most of the reasons for dropping pets off were rather thin....(I didn't work in admissions.... don't think I could have handled that) I could never, never have worked at a shelter where I knew the animals would be put down.

[Irulan]

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?

[TsPoet]

+1 Trek-chick.... I volunteered for a time at a Humane Society too. I thought most of the reasons for dropping pets off were rather thin....(I didn't work in admissions.... don't think I could have handled that) I could never, never have worked at a shelter where I knew the animals would be put down.

The best excuse I heard when I volunteered at the humane society in Tucson 15 years ago.... wait for it...
"I just had my living room completely re-done and my beautiful cat no longer matches the furniture".

I couldn't make that up if I wanted to!

I had to give up a dog - I adopted him and had him 2 weeks when he attacked my older dog. He attacked my old dog 3 times, the 3rd time he bloodied up the back of my arm when I was trying to body block him - he just would not stop.
I can't remember crying so hard as when I had to find a new home for him. I did it on my own, though, I did not go through a "rescue organization".

[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

[beccaB]

I adopted the dog in my signature pix because his owner would be having him euthanized the next day. I knew he would come with some issues because he had been rehomed many times. I found a trainer to work with. It is about like paying for private lessons for kids with instruments and dance class and all that, except that those kids grew up so now the dog is my new kid. It has not always been easy but I'm in it for the long haul.

[Owlie]

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.

My good friend had to give up her cats, since she was moving in with her mom to save money (and her mom is allergic to cats). The cats, when she had them, ate better than she did--she was eating ramen for a long time so she could afford one cat's prescription food. She tried to find homes for them--one got adopted, the other (a former feral) failed the "adoptability" test at the shelter and was euthanized.

[jessmarimba]

I got my first cat due to a baby, but it wasn't because the owners didn't have time for it. Basically each of the couple already owned a cat before they got married. Her cat terrorized the cat I ended up with. No joke. They originally had a spare bedroom and would keep one cat in the bedroom and one loose in the house at any given time, switching on and off. Then she got pregnant, and they needed the room for the baby (without the hellacious cat locked in with it). Since Clementine had always slept in my room when we all shared a house, they called to see if I would be interested in taking her.

Oddly enough, the cat they still have has calmed down immensely since the baby was born, but he's also about 13-14 years old now.

[badger]

it's unbelievable what people do with their animals. Some give them up because they didn't realize that puppies are a lot of work, or they get a dog that's not suited to their lifestyle. The worst I ever heard was that the cat no longer went with the decor...

I know that when I adopt an animal, I'm taking on the responsiblity of its welfare for the rest of their lives. If, for whatever reason, I can't care for them anymore, I have to make sure that a loving home will be found for them. I could never take them to the shelter with their futures unknown.

But people are pretty fickle and callous; if they no longer suit them, they get disposed.