NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE, Except Pets!

NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE.  Au contraire!  Stand in the lobby of any animal shelter, on any given day, and count how many litters of puppies/kittens, young/old, healthy/in need of medical care, and loyal pets are freely dumped.

Actually, there is a relatively small fee that is supposed to be paid when a pet is relinquished at the shelter, but many people who are dumping their pets have figured a way to buck the system.  Last summer, a family living down the street
from me was moving and held a yard sale.  All household items were being sold.  The three dogs they had were offered for free.  Do you go on the Website craigslist or look through a PennySaver paper?  Under “pets” you will read headings such as, “Loving family pet free to good home;” “Free pit/lab to good home;” “Need to get rid of puppies, free,” and on and on and on.

This ad for a puppy, practically free, was recently posted: 

“$20 rehoming fee for mix puppy  Female, 7 weeks I am only asking for a rehoming fee because I want her to have a good home. Please e-mail me if you want to come pick her up today.”

Last week, a man posted that he needed help to rehome his dog of 5 years, because he and his wife have a newborn baby and they fear when the child starts to crawl and then toddle, it might not be a good mix with an energetic dog.  He wrote, “Very sad to see her go but it is the right thing to do.”  Really? 

The man said of the dog that she had gone through training, and with consistency and some exercise, “she’s perfect.”  He further stated, in pertinent part:

“She's a sweetheart.  Super duper affectionate, loyal to the point of being a little co-dependent. . . .  She's a fantastic companion, always at your feet.  She's a great guard dog, barks when people come to the door.  She loves hiking and running, going wherever you go, hanging out in the car, checking everything out, dog park, beach, fetching, catching balls, etc.  Her arch nemesis is a squirrel.  She is really a phenomenal friend.”

[Emphasis added.]

With all that has been invested in this “phenomenal friend,” why wouldn’t the man invest a bit more to have a behaviorist/trainer be brought in to teach his loyal pet how to be gentle with their child, if in fact it was not?  Some people would argue that, at least, people advertising on craigslist, for example, are making an effort to find a home for their pet instead of dumping it in the shelter or on some deserted road.  Perhaps that is true.  Moreover, I am aware that not everyone who adopts a pet they found online or in a newspaper has evil intentions.  Nevertheless, I still question whether a pet’s life is worth so little that people can so readily discard of them.

Frankly, it is not whether someone is charging to rehome his or her pet or giving it away free.  It is the fact that every day, hundreds upon hundreds of people are rehoming (“abandoning”) their loyal companions, forgetting the commitment they should have made when they brought the pet into their home. 

Because I become so aggravated after I have read or heard about these innocent animals becoming displaced, I try to stay off certain sites and not read some papers.  But I am often drawn to the posts/ads when I am searching jobs or looking to see what furniture is on sale.  And then I feel like screaming, “What’s the matter with you people?”  Occasionally, I will read a post, like those above, and think that the people are simply naïve, and so I respectfully respond to them, offering suggestions that might get them to reconsider their decision. 

For instance, I wrote to the person who is asking a $20 rehoming fee.  I asked why the puppy was taken from her mother before the crucial 8-week-weaning period.  And why did the person think a mere $20 would guarantee her a good home.  I explained that by inviting someone to pick the puppy up at her house without obtaining an address and seeing where she [the puppy] would be going could be detrimental to her well being.  What if she is tied up outside 24/7?  What if she is sold to a lab that uses dogs for research?  What if the family gets bored with her and rehomes her again or, worse, abandons her?  And what if the next person does not get the dog spayed and she has more puppies, which will add to the perpetual cycle of trying to find homes for all the homeless and unwanted animals?

To the man who wants to rehome his pet because he has a baby, I wrote him about a friend of mine, a single woman who rescued four dogs (one of whom I introduced her to) from the pound.  Since the day I met her, she confided in me that she wanted to adopt a baby (the human kind).  About a year ago, she adopted a baby girl, and never did she, nor would she, consider giving up any of her fur-kids.  Isn’t it up to the parents of children to be vigilant at all times, whether there is a pet in the house, sharp instruments laying around, or furniture a child can fall off?

Friends and I often ponder whether the Internet has brought more attention to the number of pets being discarded, or has it always been like this.  Does anyone remember the song “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window,” made popular by Patti Page in the 1950’s?  Were there puppy mills back then?  How did the “doggie with the waggley tail” end up in the pet store?

A couple of weeks ago, I applied to become a volunteer and assist in a “tabling pilot program” at one of the animal shelters.  A few of us at a time will be stationed at a table outside the shelter, speaking with people who are intending to relinquish their pets and those who are interested in adopting one, and offering suggestions and literature to help them make the best possible decision for the pets.  This Sunday will be the first time for me, and while I have no doubt it may be a frustrating experience, I will keep a smile on my face and respectfully respond.

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An article worth reading:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/farrah-fauwcet/the-pet-relinquishadoption-misconception/111026922331760