Shelters are NOT "Happily Ever After" when you want to Dump your PET

  • by: Jana DiCarlo
  • recipient: Anyone wanting to give up their dog because of XYZ...
  • we're moving
  • our building doesn't allow pets
  • I have allergies
  • he is too big
  • he is too old
  • I don't have time
  • I don't have the money
  • we have a baby now
  • .................

"I'm sure they will find him a good home"

WRONG!!!

No pet is ever “better off” in a shelter, stuck in a tiny kennel with limited human interaction, competing with dozens of other pets to be adopted. No pet is ever better off exposed to kennel cough and other life-threatening diseases.

Clearly, there are legitimate reasons why a person might need to give up a pet. Illness, death of a family member, loss of a job, these are just a few circumstances that might make a family think they can no longer care for a pet.

I also believe that many people give up too easily, and rather than find their pet a proper home , they transfer the responsibility to someone else.

Often, rather than take the time to train a dog to properly behave, they give up on him and decide to get rid of him. Instead of making the effort to re-home the pet themselves, they irresponsibly choose to let someone else do the legwork. 

But even in the best shelter, one that is not high kill, animals suffer. Pets may become depressed or scared or aggressive. Confinement in a cold, noisy, strange place frightens even the sweetest animal, making it take on behaviors that are  out of character for that pet. Obviously these behaviors only make it harder for the pet to get adopted.

It’s simple to do the right thing. It’s certainly not rocket science.

  • If you decide to get a pet, do the research FIRST. Learn about the breed you’re considering and make sure it fits your lifestyle. Don’t make an impulsive decision to adopt (and for Pete’s sake, don’t buy from a pet store!)
  • Be a responsible pet owner. Properly vaccinate, socialize, and TRAIN your pet. Do everything you can to set your pet – and yourself – up for success.
  • Being responsible means spaying and neutering your pets. Kill shelters euthanize perfectly healthy puppies and kittens every day – don’t fool yourself into thinking those babies you just dumped are automatically going to be adopted. It doesn’t happen that way.
  • If you think you can no longer care for the pet, do the right thing for the animal. Make the effort to find a good home for the pet. Don’t push the responsibility off onto someone else. 
  • Having trouble? Ask for help. Shelters and other animal welfare agencies know of resources that are available to you and might enable you to keep your pet. Take pet food banks, for example. If you feel you can’t keep your pet because you don’t have the money to feed it, a pet food bank may be able to assist you, even as far as rehoming goes.

The bottom line: your pet is never going to be better off dumped at an animal shelter than it is in your home or in the NEW home you helped find for him. Period. End of story.

PLEDGE NEVER TO DUMP YOUR PET.

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