It's that time of the year again... (legal, shelters, neuter)

Neuling · 07-08-2017, 12:51 PM

when they air warnings against abandoning pets so that people can go on vacation.
Always makes me wonder what kind of people abandon a pet as if it were an old device that is no longer used. Are they psychopaths? I mean, mentally healthy people develop a relationship with their pets, just like with humans.

At least there are severe penalties now for abandoning pets. But even if that legal approach works, I wonder if that would change people's sick minds. Isn't it too late when someone wants to get rid of their dog, and only doesn't do so because of a looming penalty?

Sollaces · 07-09-2017, 01:56 PM

When I fostered for an animal shelter, I brought in a cat I found. It was chipped and I thought my worries were over. Nope. The owner moved out of state, from the Midwest out to the east coast. . . . And . . . . Abandoned her cat to fend for itself. She just let it loose.

And the odd thing was the owner wouldn't answer her phone as per the contact on the cat's chip. I don't get it either. It's like a conditional love. I can only keep and care for you when these conditions are met.

Pets can be boarded. Pets can be babysat. Pets can move with you when you relocate. It's up to you to make that lifelong commitment instead of taking the easy route and dumping. Overcoming all this is educating people and giving them options. See if a friend can take a pet in. Mention it on social media and you need to find a home for bowser. There's plenty of solutions instead of tying the dog to a vet door or dumping a box of kittens off at the police station.

Sollaces · 07-09-2017, 01:59 PM

It's also a sad fact that during the summer animal shelters are so full they can't take in any more animals. You're right, it's due to people going on vacation and dumping their pets. It gets really bad when you know the shelter is putting to sleep perfectly fine healthy cats because they don't have cage space.

Rowan123 · 07-10-2017, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neuling

when they air warnings against abandoning pets so that people can go on vacation.
Always makes me wonder what kind of people abandon a pet as if it were an old device that is no longer used. Are they psychopaths? I mean, mentally healthy people develop a relationship with their pets, just like with humans.

At least there are severe penalties now for abandoning pets. But even if that legal approach works, I wonder if that would change people's sick minds. Isn't it too late when someone wants to get rid of their dog, and only doesn't do so because of a looming penalty?

Personally, I'd rather someone take a pet to a shelter than dump it to fend for itself or let it starve to death in the back yard. Some people see pets as disposable. I can understand people who don't like pets but I can't understand people who dump them for stupid reasons.

Animal control in my area is taking in 100 to 200 pets a day.

There is a spay/neuter requirement but enforcement is nonexistent.

Neuling · 07-10-2017, 02:31 PM

Up to 200 a day, that's a lot.

There are heart-breaking stories of dogs and cats running around for weeks and months just to get home again to the ones that abandoned them in the first place. They can't understand that they were abandoned on purpose.

I think people should realize that pets are family members. I could think of a commercial: a family wanting to go on vacation, but as their car has a seat too few for the kids, they abandon one of their little girls at some street corner.