*VENT* Why do people do this...Grrrr

[Chuck S]

Why do folks get pets then suddenly "not want them" anymore? Why do they drop them off and abandon them out in the country?

It seems all the stray dogs and cats eventually show up at our doorstep. There were two of the cutest poodles around the last couple of days, both white, one medium size, the other a little smaller and younger...possibly a parent and pup.

Obviously they had been abandoned for awhile, their fur was matted, they were dirty, and so scared of people...obviously abused, starving. I hate always being the one to call animal control, but I can't adopt all these pets...we have 3 cats now (siblings) that a stray mother cat left us before she disappeared (I assume a coyote got her.) We've had the cats neutered and spayed, and took one to the emergency on Sunday after a rattlesnake bite (it is recovering well.) Every animal we've had for the last 20 years just "appeared" on our doorstep. We take care of our animals, have them boarded when we travel, get their shots, take them to the vet when they are ill...yes it is expensive, but they are our respnsibility.

I just wish folks would take care of their pets or not get them in the first place. It is heartbreaking to see how some people mistreat their "pets."

 

[Pea-n-Me]

ITA, Chuck. Thank you for your kindheartedness toward these animals, for surely they suffer.

 

[FreshTressa]

I'm always afraid our dog will dig out of our yard one day and become one of those "abandoned" dogs.

He loves everyone and would follow anyone home. He is microchipped though, so hopefully they will figure it out.

You are a kind soul for caring for the poor little guys!

 

[SillyMe]

Ooh, that frustrates me, too. They always seemed to show up at our doorstep also, I think partly because we have kids. My kids always became attached to these animals and then cried when we gave them away. We already had a dog, we couldn't keep all the others that found us. We would've ended up with about 4 dogs, 10 cats and a ferret...yes, someone even dropped off a ferret. It followed my dd (who was about 4 at the time) onto our porch. She's yelling "Mommy look at the squirrel. It likes me." We caught it and gave it to a store, who later sold it.

 

[poohandwendy]

Oh Chuck, I so totally agree. We have 1 dog, 6 cats and 2 guinea pigs who are the direct result of people not wanting their pet any more. Our neighborhood also seems to be a 'dropping spot' for unwanted (and also unaltered) animals. Maybe it is because people see all of the families and assume that someone will care enough to take them in. I do, however, have a very nasty neighbor who I know would think nothing of poisoning an animal who dared enter his yard. People just do not think about the dangers involved for animals left to fend for themselves. It is so frustrating.

At any rate, there is a special place in heaven for people like you.

 

[disneymom3]

Yep. This is why we haven't gotten the puppy yet that my kids so desperately want. Not that we would ever abondon him, but it is a lifelong commitment--at least the dog's life--that I am not ready to make. I keep thinking, but what if I don't like owning a dog?

As a really sad aside, I met a woman several days ago who just adopted a daughter. The sad part of it is that another family had this little girl for 9 months and changed their minds! Awful.

 

[DVC Jen]

why do they do it? because they are irresponsible, heartless idiots.

and that is my not so humble opinion.

I think it is deplorable the way some animals are treated. It literally makes me sick to my stomach.

 

[alliecats]

We have this kind of neighborhood, too. Last year we spent $400 on a neighbor-abandoned cat who needed to be altered, have his shots & tests, and had to have surgery on this huge, oozing abscess on his face. Which involved a few day's stay at the vet. This was after spending about $4500 on one of OUR own cat's medical care that year, so we were already broke. But the animals don't understand that, they just want you to help them.

People totally suck sometimes. Except for people like the ones on this thread, that is.

 

[Nancy]

Yep. This is why we haven't gotten the puppy yet that my kids so desperately want. Not that we would ever abondon him, but it is a lifelong commitment--at least the dog's life--that I am not ready to make. I keep thinking, but what if I don't like owning a dog?

As a really sad aside, I met a woman several days ago who just adopted a daughter. The sad part of it is that another family had this little girl for 9 months and changed their minds! Awful.

OMG...that poor baby!

I had a co worker that did the same thing to her little dog..it was one of those really cute furry things, llasa apso (no clue if that is spelled even remotely close)..I think. She told all of us what she did and she didn't think there was anything wrong with it...she was just tired of having a dog.

 

[beckmrk04]

This is how my in-laws just ended up with their new dog, Petey. Boy is he a handful. But they live out in the country and it's very common out there for people to drop off animals. I don't get it.

 

[DVC Sadie]

why do they do it? because they are irresponsible, heartless idiots.

and that is my not so humble opinion.

I think it is deplorable the way some animals are treated. It literally makes me sick to my stomach.

ITA, makes me sick to my stomache and hurts my heart to see what so called humans treat animals.

 

[escape]

A former neighbor of mine left 3 cats behind because she didn't want to take them to her new place out in the country. I couldn't believe it!!! That would have been the perfect place to take them.

She said we could do whatever we wanted with them, ie - call the animal shelter or adopt them out. Gee, thanks!!!

I ended up adopting one of them and another neighbor feeds the other two but doesn't really take care of them otherwise.

Some people are just so irresponsible and insensitive to these poor animals.

 

[Saphire]

I don't get it either. We have owned several cats and currently have a kitty that was abandoned. It seems most pet owners have similar stories. That means that there a lot of heartless people out there doing all this abandoning, and that makes me really sad.

 

[mickeymousemom]

We have actually been adopting unwanted senior dogs for a few years...no, its not the same as getting a pet and then deciding you can't take care of it, but these little guys suffer too. We have our own German Shepherd, so we only adopt one(unless some emergency arises) small senior dog at a time. The one we have now is a 16yo Maltese who lived in a very upscale home for the first 15 years of his life. He was bought as a present for the owner's 5 yo DD. Once she had him, she could have cared less. The owner ended up taking care of him for the next 15 years. She is a realtor and got divorced years ago, so the dog was left in a laundry room all day by himself. She eventually met a guy who wanted nothing to do with the dog, and decided to get rid of him. We drove over 2 hours to pick him up and he's doing great. He's rarely left alone and goes with us almost everywhere.
Our first dog we took in(he's the inspiration for what we're doing) was found accidentally in the middle of the highway on the way to a weekend alone for DH and I. It was a toy poodle, matted and dirty...very skinny(he ended up being at least 10-12 yo and was missing an eye). We had no idea his breed until we took him to a local groomer, who thought she might have seen him years ago and could be the dog of a strange old woman(she couldn't give us any more info and wasn't even sure it was the same dog). Well...no more. We took him home and he followed me everywhere until he died of congestive heart failure. It was because of him that we decided to take in senior dogs. I wish so much that people would think twice before they adopt a dog. And if you have a family member who has passed away and left a pet behind, please don't dump them on the road somewhere.

I encourage anyone who is thinking about adopting a dog, to consider an older animal. They are set in their ways and already potty trained. Some of the sweetest animals you'll find. They've lost their own family member and need someone new to love.

 

[Stacerita]

It really is sad. I had to explain to the sweetpea about people abandoning their pets a while back. We had gone camping and all over the mountain there were signs warning people against leaving their pets and to not dump them. She saw the signs and asked me what they meant. So sad.

 

[azgal81]

I agree with you some people just don't care. I could never give up my cat and I have no idea how some people can just toss their animals aside when they realize they no longer want them. I'm going to end up with so many animals one day because I am so sensative toward them. I just don't understand some people just don't deserve to have animals for pets. You adopt a pet you keep them don't be heartless!

 

[PhotobearSam]

I think that the people who do that are not capable of LOVE...

I had my 2 cats all of 2 minutes and fell in love hard...They are now almost 14 and I love them like babies...How could someone get love from an animal and not return the love... they Must not have a heart...

I would rather be with my cats more than a lot of people I meet...My cats are a little piece on heaven on earth and it's the reason why I KNOW that God exists...Only a nice GOD would make a creature so full of love and does not care if you are cute, ugly, tall, short, bald, fat, skinny, or can't sing a tune...All they want is to love you and get love in return...

Seeing my Dad mellow since he got his little TIA...makes me see that people who don't fall for their animals don't have a heart...must be a chunk of coal instead.

 

[sunlver]

I did not read all the responses yet. But, this irks me as well. For me, a pet is for life. Ok, I mean if you got a dog and bite your child, I can understand you giving it away, but not letting it roam free. Other then that, there is no reason for all these stray animals.
I volunteer for a local dog rescue group. Not only do I have a foster dog, I do the phones for them twice a week. You would not believe how many calls we get because people are wanting to give up their pets, all for various reasons.
Mostly we get calls because people are moving. We live ina military town, so people around here(not all, but a Lot)get pets, keep them for 2 yrs, then get rid of them when the military transfers them UGH... you wouldnt believe how much this makes me mad. Or the people who all of a sudden cant afford their dog. DUH... didnt youknow how much a dogs upkeep cost, food, shots, heartworm prevention, flea prevention.. and thats before any sickness occurs.
Or the ones who have dogs, have a new baby and said they just dont have time for the dog now the new baby is here UGH...
I have 3 kids, and 2 dogs, plus a foster dogs. I have had dogs all my life, my dogs have been here when we brought each baby home.
OK, I dont get it.
I hope I did not offend anybody..But sometimes the truth hurts. People really need to think LONG and HARD before getting a pet.

 

[MsDisney23]

My brother just ended up with a stray dog. He decided to go ahead and keep it. He has just fallen in love with her. She shocked him, and had a litter of puppies! I don't know why people do this, it is so sad. These animals depend on us!

 

[Planogirl]

My aunt used to live way out in the country on a big piece of land just down from a roadside park. Her family learned to cruise through the park from time to time because people kept dumping their animals there. My aunt took in as many as she could, luckily she had a big place. I remember once she had 30 cats, almost all outdoors, and 6 dogs. She got them neutered and got them all rabies shots so it was always a financial burden but she wouldn't have it any other way!