why do people think dogs are disposable?

[borzoimom]

In all my years, more than I care to mention only two times, outside of litters sold to families, have I EVER given up a dog. One dog was an import- spoke only german, had no clue about children as we found out AFTER the fact, and the second was a dog with a mental disorder later put down..
I am sorry= but when a dog comes into my home they stay here for life.. This is thier home. Its theirs .. I fail to understand why people say " ohhhhhh I can get this dog til I cant or WONT .. whatever.. ".. This disregard in commitment bugs the crap out of me.. Where is the committment-??? Pets are not a purse that goes out of style? What the heck?
We have a rescue here- her medical costs are extensive AND NOT ONCE have we ever thought to place her.. She is here for life. My old man hottie- allllllll his medical problems we just dealth with it- BUT THIS WAS HIS HOME until he decided to go to the bridge.
It makes me dang gone sick to read on forums as pets as so disposable. I read on one forum this guy was giving up his dogs because " to take the time to care for them I could not hang out with my buddies..." THEN WHY THE HECK DID YOU get the pets??? Someone explain this to me please..

 

[milos_mommy]

If I ever figure out the answer I'll let you know...

 

[jess2416]

If I ever figure out the answer I'll let you know...

What she said ^^

 

[Backward_Cinderella]

I know the answer. Its because they're @$$holes.
Sorry, but that's the only thing I can think of. I have NEVER given up a dog, and never WILL. My dogs are my family, and more my friends than any humans have ever been to me.
It makes me sad that people think dogs are disposable, and working for a rescue, I see it EVERY DAY.

 

[borzoimom]

It just makes me sick.. If you cant care for the one you have, why bring in the hope of another when it could have a FOREVER home somewhere else.. I am reading over and over again on forums- i gave up so in so dog but getting so in so, and I just ever lovin' cringe.. Poor dog.. I am sorry I am on a rant but with summer time these posts on forums are exploding and it makes me sick knowing in a few months - after the novality wears off, here we go again- dogs in shelters etc.. For God sake- THINK- THIS IS a big commitment- we are not talking months- we are talking year after year, after year..

 

[drmom777]

You are asking in a place where no one will have the answer, because we don't get it either.

All our pets ( and we do have a houseful) are rescues of one kind or another, and one argument for never getting rid of them is "well, no one else would want him/her". We actually adopted our beagle BECAUSE she was incorrigible and didn't have anywhere else to go. We are proud to say she has improved to just impossible.

i think if you want to find out why peiople dump their pets you need to try a different forum. I know that many years ago my vet in Beacon Hill in Boston tried to place two Borzois with me because the owner wanted them euthed because she changed her decor and they no longer matched. Sadly, I lived in an 800 square foot studio with a dog, several assorted rodents, a husband and a daughter at the time...

 

[elegy]

because a lot of people are selfish and lazy. i also think sometimes people like the idea of a dog a lot better than they like the actual dog. dogs take work, time, money. despite what the fairy tales and disney movies suggest.

 

[borzoimom]

drmom777-God bless your heart! :hail:

 

[drmom777]

My favorite reason, I think, is, "But I didn't know my Newfoundland (insert other breed name here) would get so BIG" And for hounds of all types "He howls". What were they expecting, that he would meow? Read much, people?

 

[iwantmypup]

Agree with above posts.
It is absolutely rediculous the amounts of dogs that get dumped off because the people don't want them. It is really sad!

 

[drmom777]

Well, we found our Guinea Pigs abandoned in the reservation above our house. We thought this was an unusual occurrence, until we ran across this blurb on petfinder for the Monmouth County spca

"We *always* have Guinea Pigs, most often they are abandoned at Sandy Hook or on our property. Just a note- Guinea Pigs cannot survive outside! If you are looking for a Guinea Pig, please call us... and ask what we have. Check out our small & furry page on our website... to see some of what we have, although it is tough to keep it updated. Best option- come visit us and see what small and furries we have!"

Sandy hook is a National Seashore. People think it is OK to drop your Guinea Pig off at the beach?? For those unfamiliar with piggies, it is hard to imagine a more helpless animal. They have no defense at all, are usually splashed with white to make them easy to see, and if you want to catch one, you just walk up and pick it up. If this happens on a regular basis, then there is no limit to people's stupidity and general meanness.

 

[mrose_s]

I had one friend that had a husky, this thing was pretty mad. It didn't get the training or excercise it needed. Even though Huskies arn't a breed I would willingly take on, I would have had him if I could have. He LOVED people, but he just didn't get the stimulation he needed. I was out walkign with him one day and deicided just to run with him, he had so much fun!
THey gave him to a friend, and got a malt mix boy, my friend was so excited about training him and stuff. He's now about 3, zero training, just in teh back yard like their husky was, it annoys me.

I'll probbaly foster before I get a secnd dog when I move out, looking ta all those broken faces is too sad.

We got Elliot when he was 9, someone had put him in a shelter because they were moving (no excuse, we've moved all over the country with anythign from 3-6 animals at a time) The second day we had him home we knew he had to stay. He just did.

We do have a rule though, if we bring in an animal that quickly upsets the structure of the animals already here (like a boy dog that is too dominant over the others) they will be rehomed so our other animals don't suffer. But once they are "in" then thats it, they stay.

When we got Buster, he was just apuppy. We wern't after another dog but we couldn't leave him in the car park where he had been dumped. SO we tried for about 2 weeks to rehome him (no-one wanted an ugly little ACD pup - and yes, he wasn't a good looking puppy) but he just fitted in so well, he was a great third dog, didn't push the boundries or anything, he just fit right, so we decided to keep him and that was it. He couldn't be rehomed after that decision. I'm still SO glad we kept him, he is my best friend, I couldn't imagien life wihtout him.

 

[DaVinci]

I have been in rescue work for over 25 yrs. I think that I have seen and heard it all. At one time the summer of 1987 we had over 41 dogs come and go through our house. We found them tied to trees left in cars under houses. The plant in my home town shut down and people just up and moved. I can not tell the number of dogs and cats and rabbits that we have taken in re-homed or kept. I believe that we need to start educating the childern because they just follow in their parents foot steps as far committment goes. Heck parents don't committ to each other or even to their childern so how is person like that able to committ ot a dog or cat. I think it all goes back to values but how do you teach values to a society?

 

[Paradise]

I think people need to do a lot more research before getting a dog. I see people on craigslist and other places giving their dogs away because they don't have the time for it, they can't train or exercise it properly and they feel bad and want it to go to a home where the owners have time for it.

Well shouldn't you have considered that before even getting the dog? Dogs are not just there when you feel like taking care of them, they're a 10-15 year commitment. You wouldn't give your children away because you were working long hours and didn't have enough time for them, would you? I'd hope not!

 

[Sweet72947]

My family has only had to give up a dog once, because I swear to gawd she wanted to rip Daisy's throat out, and we couldn't live with that. We were willing to deal with the counter surfing, leash reactiveness, seperation anxiety and driveyness; but the DA to Daisy, no.

Working in rescue I've found that the three most common reasons are: Moving, Baby, Alleriges, in that order; followed closely by "no time", "got to big" and "too active". People see a cute puppy and get it on impulse, then when it grows up they can't deal with it.

 

[Babyblue5290]

It's not as cut and dry as you make it seem.

Yeah a LOT of people think dogs are disposable, but just because someone has re homed a dog doesn't make them irresponsible. There are a few VERY valid reasons to rehome a dog, IMO. It's not as black and white as you make it seem. <<At least that's what it sure seems like to me.

 

[iwantmypup]

It's not as cut and dry as you make it seem.

Yeah a LOT of people think dogs are disposable, but just because someone has re homed a dog doesn't make them irresponsible. There are a few VERY valid reasons to rehome a dog, IMO. It's not as black and white as you make it seem. <<At least that's what it sure seems like to me.

I agree with you totally there.

My puppy Pepperoni is staying with my uncle because we didn't live in a place for a dog..she needed more space, etc...I sure hope that nobody thinks that I disposed of my dog!

 

[~Jessie~]

I don't understand it, either

Right now we have a foster dog that I found on the street on my way to work. Until we find him the perfect forever home, he is staying with us. This poor boy is an older dog (6-8 years old, we're guessing), and was just thrown out. It's too bad, because he's a really great dog.

 

[Aurora171989]

nvr mind

 

[MoonStr80]

If I ever figure out the answer I'll let you know...

same here... I cannot bare to understand and I ask myself often