Reminder...I am not a rescue. I get tagged every day on dogs people hope I can help. I do what little Im able but I am not a rescue. I have no facility, I maintain no programs. I take some pictures, I assess some dogs and cats, I post them where I think it will help the most and mostly I just hope against all odds and beg and plead for assistance for these forgotten desert dogs (and cats) Yet every day Im asked to help. That times a million is likely what all of the rescues are getting as well. I wanted to put this thought out there for the world to see because Im so tired, so devastated, every time I see someone throwing away their pets for one reason or another. Now, before I go off on a tangent here, I also need to say that I SUPPORT people who arent meeting their animals needs finding them a better siutation, I do not think everyone who is giving up their animals is doing it because its easier, sometimes its the hardest decision in the world and I am the first to commend someone doing something selfless for the betterment of those they love. To me, keeping them no matter what is the selfish act in certain cases because we all, every life form, deserves the best of what life has to offer us. Now that thats out of the way, let it be known that for the purposes of this topic, when I talk about pet dumping it refers to those who are getting rid of a problem, rather than correcting a problem. Those who take the easy way out of their responsibilities and those who are NOT doing it for the betterment of their pets life. Heres the difference; The first group, the for the betterment of the animal folks, theyve tried everything, theyve done so for a significant amount of time, and theyre willing to continue doing so until they find the perfect situation. They are looking for resources and information to help THEM to properly deal with the situation. They are involved to the very end. The second group needs this problem gone before they leave on vacation...tomorrow...or move, or they threaten good hearted folks with if no one helps Im taking her to the pound or worse... There is a massive difference between rehoming and dumping and I dont care which word you use, if it is to suit your needs, youre dumping. Okay now that that clarification is out of the way, I can say this: Here are some of the reasons Ive heard lately that people are dumping their pets; 1. Im moving and cant take them with me. Well, here are some tips for moving when you have pets: petswelcome/milkbone/petmvframe.html 2. Im in a new relationship and he/she is allergic/doesnt like my pet. Okay if youre in a new relationship and that man/woman is already trying to remove those you love because they dislike them? You have bigger issues than some jerk not liking fido or fluffy, you need to run! However allergies are a bit more complicated, no one chooses to be allergic and you dont always know. Also they can develope later in life where the significant other may have never been allergic to begin with, thats rough...Here are some tips to making it work thanks to WebMD pets.webmd/features/pets-allergies 3. We had a child and he/she has not been the same since. As a mom times four, let me tell you that YOU have not been the same since, either. Your body has gone through all sorts of massive changes, your hormones have gone berserk, your emotions are different, your biology is different...YOU have changed too. So you go through all this and your best friend is sitting by like OMG whats wrong with mom? (and if youre the father, let me add that your stress level is surely increased and animals KNOW) and then you rush off to the hospital where you stay a day or several and then you rush back home and usher your bundle of crazy smells and sounds in and guard that little thing like the world is ravenous and going to eat it if you turn your back and uh, yeah, your dog and cat are like What in the world IS that thing and what is it doing to our family?! Some animals take to the babies fast. Some need some time. Its your responsibility to help them through that and teach your child from day one to act right with those pets. Start prepping your pets before baby comes, folks. Then introduce them properly. Some tips: babycenter/preparing-pets-for-babies 2ndchance.info/babies.htm 4. He/She suddenly turned on one of our other pets. It happens. Heres advice... whole-dog-journal/issues/13_4/features/Dog-Fighting-Behavior-Aggression_16214-1.html 5. We just dont have the time for him/her. Heres the thing, this is your family member. You MAKE time because you took on the responsibility of another life. Walk through your local shelter and experience the alternative. For cats: bideawee.org/S1-TCC-Blog-cat_happy_when_not_home-449 Cool toys: amazon/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=toy+for+cats&tag=googhydr-20&index=pets&hvadid=31697624676&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9292317396751913604&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_5naqe2kh9z_b For dogs: https://google/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=puzzle+toys+for+dogs&tbm=shop 6. He/she gets out of my yard Besides the obvious statment that your dog shouldnt be left alone in your yard to begin with, here are some other points to consider: dogtime/escaping.html 7. He/she chews up my belongings Are you meeting your dogs needs? dummies/how-to/content/making-sure-our-dog-gets-enough-exercise.html Do you leave him/her alone a lot? dogtrainingbasics/leaving-dog-home-alone-safely/ 8. He/she sprays or is not potty trained Spraying: drsfostersmith/pic/article.cfm?articleid=332 Potty training: healthypets.mercola/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/05/12/four-proved-principles-of-housebreaking-a-dog-of-any-age.aspx 9. He/she is aggressive/has behavioral issues This could come from health issues left unchecked, this year our shelter had a dog, a beautiful purebred boxer dumped because she was 9 yrs old and suddenly became aggressive and was losing weight well, the first thing I did when I met her was check her teeth which were broken, decaying and abcessed. With a good dental this dog was back to her sweet self and some other fabulous family now gets to spend the rest of her life with her. healthypets.mercola/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/07/18/gentle-dog-turns-aggressive.aspx 10. We got a new pet and he/she doesnt like it. Dont get me started on my opinions on this topic, heres a link to help with properly introducing new pets... paws.org/library/cats/home-life/introducing-cat-to-dog/ Every site I offered is on the very first page of a google search on the subject. EVERY SINGLE ONE. So if youre on the internet trying to pass off our responsibility to someone else, you can take 5 minutes to educate yourself and save your dog or cats life AND the lives of those in the shelter or other situations who will die waiting because of the irresponsible pet owners that dump their family the moment theres an issue. These are just a few of the excuses (because thats all they are) for dumping...There are many and I bet if you take 5 minutes and do a bit of research youll find that there are a boatload of resources out there to help you better your situation for you and your pet. Short version? STOP DUMPING YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS!
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 16:04:25 +0000