Pets are a Long-Term Commitment
February 7th, 2010
- We picked up Sade (left) after seeing her dumped on the side of the road. Molly (right) was given up because she licks
I was so sad the other day when I read a repost by a friend of a friend on Facebook who was looking for a new home for her kitty of 5 years. The woman said her BF (boy friend) REALLY didn’t like the cat, as he was allergic. Besides, she wrote, he had leather furniture and cat claws do not mix with leather well.
This was the story of a cat, but this happens with dogs all too often as well.
I couldn’t help but wonder how long the relationship would last with the woman and the BF, even if they do eventually marry, the odds are against them. Approximately 65 percent of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce.
Would this woman then be lonely and wish she had back her kitty that she professed to love and by her own words had been her “best friend” for the past five years?
It was all I could do to keep from asking her.
When I married my husband, I knew he was also a sensitive animal lover. That’s just the way we are. I can’t imagine either one of us asking the other to give up our pets. They are our family. To us, it would be akin to someone asking us to give up our kids.
- Emma was dumped in our neighborhood. Trained for tricks, housebroken and easy-going, we think her crime that resulted in abandonment was getting pregnant.
Last year, when I was writing profiles for clients of a nationally known dating site, I always smiled when I saw they insisted in their profile that their potential future mate must also be willing to accept their dog or cat.
Too many people take on the responsibility of a pet without taking many things into consideration about their lifestyle and its’ compatibility with a pet.
I’ve posted photos of our current band of Fearsome Four, all of which were given up or abandoned because they were just doing things dogs do.
Of course, there are the exceptions, people and families in this economy have lost their jobs and are having problems feeding themselves and their pets, and they have lost their homes. The ASPCA estimates that 1 to 2 million pets has been abandoned at rescues and shelters since the Great Recession officially began in December 2007. Rescue organizations are struggling not only with the flood of pets being forfeited, but the costs associated with care as donations are down nationwide.
Now is certainly not the time to turn another pet onto the overburdened rescue system if you can help it. The SPCA of Monterey County has tips to help you if you’re really struggling to keep your pet with you. The Humane Society of the United States also has behavioral tips and tips to help if someone in your family suddenly develops an allergy for a pet in your home. Please also check out the other blogs here, the pet experts giving advice on health, nutrition, positive training and general tips are some of the best anywhere!
- Chained in a yard w/o food or water, Dakota was given up because she barks.
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17 Responses to “Pets are a Long-Term Commitment”
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Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell has had dogs all of her life. Her first rescue was Hershey, a miniature black and brown Dacshund. She ruled the Campbell household until 2005 when she passed away at age 16. The case of Scruffy, a Yorkshire terrier whose torture death was videotaped in 1997, horrified the nation when the tape appeared on national news shows. Kerri began covering the trial for the local daily newspaper in Kansas City, Kansas where the crime occurred. Her investigation into animal cruelty cases led to her awareness of the puppy mill problem in that state.
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Kerri- I am a big supporter of animal rescue organizations and initiatives, but even when I’m trying desperately to find a home for a cat or dog, I make sure that people understand they are making a fifteen year commitment (or longer) to the animal they’re considering adopting. It does not help a cat or dog to be taken in by someone impulsively, then get dumped when they are too much trouble, or as in the case of your example above, are in the way of a romantic relationship. I cannot understand how anyone who lives with a cat or dog for any length of time, doesn’t come to understand that they feel love, loneliness, loss and abandonment. It is so unfair to bring an animal into your home, bond with them, then add them to the overwhelming numbers of cats and dogs in need of homes. It is wonderful when someone opens their home and heart to a homeless animal, but only if they have the responsibility and commitment to love and care for that pet until it dies.
Unfortunately, the people who adopt pets and then give them up for trivial reasons don’t think of pets as a lifetime (the pet’s lifetime) commitment and many of them have no idea how to take care of dogs or cats. They need to be educated and it’s a mystery to me how to do that because they don’t read blogs like this. My own brother-in-law was a great example. He had two dogs and kept a neverending food supply down for them, he never trimmed their nails or exercised them and efficiently they both got so fat that they died. How do you reach people like that? We tried talking to him, but it didn’t do any good.
Kerri, thank you for making people more aware of people who do rescuing. God bless them.
Thank you, Kathy, for your insight. It is heartbreaking knowing that these animals feel loss and confusion when they are abandoned. When we saw Sade being dumped on the side of the road, she ran for a good 1/2 mile, at full speed in 100 degree heat to catch up with that car. I was crying so hard I just had to go back and get her!
Thanks, Heather. Sometimes I don’t think you can reach some people, but all we can do is keep trying!
am so glad to know about this blog…and am happy to be able to focus on the GOOD things that are being done…and the good people who do them…
There are heartbreaking stories every day, the economy is not helping, and people are neglectful in spaying or neutering, so it can sometimes feel hopeless- that wonderful, unconditionally loving pets will continue to be neglected and abused…
so KUDOS for writing about rescues and places that HELP. WE NEED THESE STORIES!!
I’m so thrilled to find this blog! We adopted our golden retriever through a rescue almost seven years ago and I can’t imagine our family without him. We have two cats as well, so our house is like a little zoo.
It’s a constant battle to keep up with the dog and cat hair that accumulates, but in the end, I know I won’t remember the messy house as much as I’ll remember the companionship these animals have brought to our lives.
Keep up the great work, Kerri!
Thank you, Debby and Dara. Sometimes it does seem hopeless, but there are so many good people out there out to make a difference!
You’re right, Dara, when all that is left are the memories, we only remember the unconditional love they brought us, not the tumbledogs (hair!)
Kerri,
I’d bark too if I didn’t have food or water!
Exactly, Sally, and even if the dog has food and water, they are pack animals. Pack animals are designed by nature to be with other animals – be they human or animal. Dogs get very lonely tied to a chain in a yard with no one to bond with.
Kerri, thanks so much for tackling this! Since you’re in the KC area, you’re probably familiar with Animal Haven Shelter. They’re a low kill shelter (they do put down dangerous animals or animals who are too ill to survive) and do great work. They’re also overstuffed with pets.
Also, please don’t forget those unusual pets that people think are cool and don’t research: Reptiles and birds. Reptiles can live anywhere from two years to over one hundred years! Also, they do not stop growing until they die. People do not get this and buy tortoises/turtles that don’t go with Little Johnny to college, marriage, etc. I won’t EVEN go into those people who buy Alligators. There’s a store here in town that sells them although it’s certainly unethical to do so, if not illegal. Parrots have similar problems: They live for 60-70 YEARS, they’re loud and extremely social. In fact, they will go insane and become destructive (to themselves and to property) if they do not have something to interact with hourly. They are not a pet you buy and leave at home alone for eight hours a day!
Sorry for the rant. I sing to parrots at petshops everytime I see one. These ARE socialized birds – there’s always something happening inside a store – yet they always cock an ear, come closer and bob their heads. It makes me sad to leave them, but not so sad I want to be responsible for one for the next 60 or more years.
Thanks, Victoria, for all those reminders. I did a story once on a woman who ran a bird rescue out of her home. They are fascinating animals and your right, some people just don’t take into consideration the long lives some other animals have.
Kerri, thank you for your work on getting the word out on our furry family members. They are to
be loved not mis-treated. I know how you love all creatures, even humans.
Thanks, Mary!
Honestly, I would NOT have married someone who would not “let” me have pets. That’s a big non-negotiable for me.
I thank my husband all the time for sharing this dog-filled life with me.
I’m with you, Roxanne! We have a Christmas decoration that reads, “Missing: Husband and dog. Reward for dog.” I’m not sure my husband doesn’t believe it.
I am also in the camp of those who would not marry someone who would not allow them to have pets. Not only because as an adult I don’t need permission from another adult to have a pet, but because if a potential spouse won’t accept my pets, there is no place for him in my life.
Kerri — the story you shared about the cat breaks my heart. That cat would have stayed with the woman forever. The boyfriend may not.
I agree, Sharon. There’s nothing more loyal than an animal.