In the words of Sherwin, posted in his mefindhome blog:
"...Missy's story, on the other hand, is a story of abandonment, which I believe is almost as painful as being left for dead in the hands of dog meat traders. Imagine yourself having a good, loving home to call your own and suddenly, one morning you find yourself being hauled to an animal shelter, a totally alien place to you, left to live with total strangers..."
Abandonment - the word that strikes a resounding chord of sadness in every shelter volunteer's heart. You only have to see the panicked, confused eyes of an owned pet when the family he's known, who's now taken him to be abandoned at an animal shelter, drives away forever.
And we see this on a regular basis at the shelter. You would never get used to it. Still as heartbreaking as the first time you had seen it.
Half of the dogs at the shelter were abandoned by their humans who didn't want them anymore. These dogs would spend their first few months in a depressive funk, mistrustful and wary of the new people taking care of them. It's a slow process getting them to be hopeful and trusting again.
To Evel, Jerby, Missy, Ariel, Torrence, Rambo, Akira, Geraldine, Chubby, Smart, Chiz, Panda, Mickey, Trixie, Hershey, and the other dogs before them, and the dozens and dozens of cats whose names I don't know, this post is for you.
From the AVA's A Pet Is For Life Brochure (see the very bottom of this message for the actual brochure, an attachment to this post):
"Say no to pet abandonment.
The decision to keep a pet should never be taken lightly. Once you are a pet owner, you have to be committed to the pet for his or her entire life."
Personally, I think at no time should abandoning your pet for convenience be an option.
"Getting A Pet? Make Sure You Are Really Ready
Pets can make good companions. In fact, the bond between owners and their pets is perhaps the most satisfying reason for keeping a pet.
However, many people buy adorable pets on impulse only to realize later that they are no longer interested in their pets or are unable to care for them. As a result, many pets end up being abandoned. To avoid this, it is always wise to spend some time and effort to find out more about the pet you intend to keep before getting it. One of the most important things to do is to ensure that the whole family agrees to keeping a pet. Besides this, here are some other factors that need to be considered :
Do you have time for your pet?
Pets need you to feed, care, groom and exercise them. They also need your companionship. Pets such as dogs need to be trained. All these require time.
How much do you know about the pet you want?
Different pets have different characteristics and they may bring problems that you will have to deal with. They may fall sick and untrained pets may damage your furniture or cause other problems.
Can you afford a pet?
The costs of owning pets can be high. Expenses such as food, veterinary care, grooming and training classes can add up.
Will you be a responsible pet owner?
There are many aspects to being a responsible pet owner. Besides caring for your pet, you have to be considerate and ensure that your pet does not bother other people. This means obeying animal laws, spaying / neutering your pet, cleaning up after your pets in public places, etc.
Deciding on the type of pet
Once you are sure that you are ready to be a responsible pet owner, it is important to choose the right type of pet that best fits your lifestyle. A pet is a life-long commitment, so ensure that you find out more about their characteristics and lifespan before making a choice.
Common pets & their average lifespans
Dog & Cat - up to 20 years
Rabbit - 8 to 12 years
Hamster - 2 to 2.5 years
Guinea Pig - 4 to 8 years"
And the following from United Wag:
PET ABANDONMENT
The vast majority of animals in shelters and pounds across the country are there because they were abandoned by their owners and left to die on the streets or they were surrendered to the shelter. Millions of pets each year are abandoned and put to death at shelters and pounds because there is no one to care for them. People abandon animals for a variety of reasons, the most common of which is a lack of understanding about what it takes to care for an animal:
- Long term commitment: Depending on the type of animal, you must make a 12-18 year commitment to care for that pet.
- Money: At a minimum, you will need to provide food, shelter, toys and veterinary care for your pets. In addition, you may incur training, grooming and boarding costs.
- Time: Your pets need your attention, just as children do. It's no secret that pets who get plenty of attention and exercise tend to be happier, healthier and calmer than those who don't.
- Planning: When you add a pet to your family, you are taking on responsibility for that pet's welfare for the rest of its life. You will need to include the pet in your vacation plans, evacuation plan in the event of an emergency and any event that could displace your pet from its home.
- Training: As with children, if you train your pets from the beginning both they and you will be much happier. You must socialize your pet and provide structure and security just as you would for your children.
- Love and affection: Do not get a pet if you won't be able to spend the time necessary to give the pet the love and affection he or she craves and deserves. Animals have a full range of emotions and needs and can become depressed when they are deprived of their family's love and affection.
Tips to ensure that you won't abandon your pet:
- Before you get a pet, do a realistic assessment of your family, home, resources and time.
- Animals are not throw-away toys and are not to be used for entertainment for your children.
- Do not buy an animal for someone as a gift unless the recipient has specifically told you he or she wants a pet.
- Do not get pets for children - your children will quickly get bored and then the pet will become your responsibility. Animals are not toys for children to play with - they are sentient beings with needs and feelings very similar to those of young children.
Remember that your pet is a member of your family and wants nothing more than to be cared for by you and to return to you unconditional love and affection. Animals experience fear, love, playfulness, boredom, anxiety, depression and joy, among other things. Please be a deserving pet parent.
A story about:
A Man and His Dog
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"
"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.
"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.
"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."
The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."
"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog. "There should be a bowl by the pump."
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.
"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.
"This is Heaven," he answered.
"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell."
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."
And lastly...
I've read this somewhere already, but it still made me cry when I read it again at phoebe rose's post:
A letter from a dog – "How Could You?"
by Jim Willis
When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh.
and ask, "How could you?" -- but then you'd relent and roll me over for a belly rub.
My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect.
We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs" you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.
Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love.
She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" -- still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate.
Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love." As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch -- because your touch was now so infrequent -- and I would've defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.
There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf. Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family.
I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said, "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. T hey understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers." You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar, as he screamed, "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life.
You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked, "How could you?"
They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind -- that this was all a bad dream... or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.
I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured, "How could you?"
Perhaps because she understood my dog speak, she said, "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself -- a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her.
It was directed at you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of you. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.
When you add a pet to your family, you are taking on responsibility for that pet's welfare for the rest of his or her life.
Say no to pet abandonment.
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