When I lived in the Rio Grande Valley, I would guess that the larger percentage of people didn't have the same regard for their pets as I have always had for mine. People who were otherwise responsible and moral citizens would think nothing of dumping their adult dogs or cats in favor of a new puppy or kitten. The act was referred to as throwing (the pet) away, and a lot of people considered it to be the sensible thing to do when their children had tired of their cat and wanted a kitten instead, or a puppy. I know that this isn't restricted to the Valley, as I have known people like that wherever I lived, and it was probably even more common before the 1960s. People would drown unwanted kittens or puppies, and dump pets who had grown too old to be entertaining. My parents didn't do that. Although cats were not considered pets in my family, except by me, they weren't mistreated, and our dogs lived out their lives, as loved as they were as puppies. Pets were outdoor animals but we had a large barn that was warm throughout the year, so they weren't left out in the cold. After my dad quit farming with horses, he retired his workhorses, who lived out their lives fed and pampered. I don't remember his second workhorse, but I remember Bill, who was a huge but gentle horse, and my dad's favorite horse long after he had a use for him. There were even vet bills as he got older, at a time when his kids didn't even see a doctor when they got sick. But that wasn't the case with everyone, while I was growing up, and I have struggled to understand the lack of compassion for an older dog who was seemingly loved and enjoyed as a puppy. When I worked for Blue Buffalo, a pet food company, I was telling a woman and her young son about the advantages of feeding a premium food, as opposed to a cheap store brand. I mentioned that a cat can be healthy in its twenties if it is fed well, while cats who are fed the cheaper brand of food are considered old at ten. The kid said that he didn't want his cat to live too long because he liked getting new ones, and his mom didn't seem at all shocked by that. I don't get it. I don't think it's a matter of good versus evil. Rather, it's a matter of what we identify with. Had the kid said that he didn't want his little brother to live too long because he preferred babies, mom would have been shocked because we all, with the exception of sociopaths, identify with other people, and particularly family members. We don't necessarily feel that way about our pets, although I do. However, there are people who are shocked that people could hunt and kill a deer because they, seemingly, feel about deer as I do about my pets. Am I evil because I approve of hunting, even though I don't hunt? I suppose that if I had raised a deer as a pet, I would feel the same way about the deer, and maybe I'd feel that way about all deer. I don't know. I have raised a couple of raccoons, but I don't feel the need to take every raccoon in out of the cold. Then again, I don't hunt them either.
Too many people discard animals as though they were part of the trash. Our dog, Marley had been abandoned on a highway in Kentucky. A truck driver found her, took her to a shelter where they took good care of her. Unfortunately, she suffered separation anxiety and the 2 times she had been adopted, it did not work well, and one guy beat her. She was finally shipped to a kill shelter up here in Jersey where, thankfully, and outfit called Orphaned Pets, Inc. found her. She was fostered briefly and we found her on line. At first she was a handful, but with patience and careful training she came to trust me implicitly. What a sweetheart this dog has turned out to be. She has the most terrific disposition of any dog I've ever owned and I've had many. Deer can be trained, Ken and believe me they are adorable too. I also approve of hunting and I do eat venison.
Although I have always loved cats, there is probably nothing so loyal as a dog. What do you think a dog is thinking when his owner is driving away after throwing him away out in the country somewhere?
I can't even go there, Ken as it breaks my heart to even picture the poor dog sitting there as the owner takes off.
we have 3 little dogs...all came from very bad places...these little creatures are our life....they sleep...eat.... with us...no decision is made about anything until they are first considered.... they depend on us for everything...including companionship 1 is 16 years old 1 is 15 years old 1 is 12 years old we must outlive them...sad .....but they would have nowhere to be
I think if someone gets a pet without the commitment of making it a part of their actual family, they shouldn't get one at all.
One thing I absolutely cannot abide is cruelty to animals. As far as attachment to our pets, my grandpa always had hunting dogs--retrievers of one sort or another. To his thinking they were not "pets" but were part of the farm work crew. They were well fed and cared for, but not pampered as pets and never allowed into the house.
This is sort of related to the thread, but what do you do with a dead dog? They don't live forever. Cats too or any other pet. We know where goldfish go.
Cutie and Lydia are buried in my backyard, complete with engraved stones. I have never had a dog of my own, but I suppose they could be buried too. When their death is not a natural one, the veterinary offices will dispose of the bodies if you want them to.
All too often, people see a small puppy, ooh and ahhh and say how cute it is and then buy the cuddly pup not thinking of the fact that it’s going to grow up.
There are those, members of 4-H and FFA, that raise livestock from babies, do get attached to them, but also understand they will be sold to the market. There are also those that get a dog, things don't work out, and they have to take the dog back to the county shelter. I see absolutely nothing wrong with returning a dog to the shelter it came from if too many problems come up. We had to do some serious thinking when we decided to take our Nikki (1/2 Siberian/1/2 Malamute) back to the county shelter, but we had to do it. In just a couple of years, she escaped us three times and the last time a local P.D. Officer picked her up. She loved to dig and, if we wouldn't have installed an electric wire at the bottom of our backyard fence, she would've dug out and ran. Huskies are very well known as "escape artists". She ate the best food, had a "doggy door" to come in/go out, slept on covered couch in living room and got plenty of exercise both by us and at local dog park. She was a member of our family and we even took an outside Christmas picture of wife, I and her to send to family. She went on our boat with us as well.