A great response to pet abandonment

[downzy]

Love this Craigslist post concerning pet-abandonment:

http://fayar.craigslist.org/rnr/4837487579.html

I have had her for six years. She has been frustrating and infuriating at times. She has cost me money I wanted to spend on other things. She has been inconvenient at times. I've had to arrange my life with her in mind. I wouldn't trade any of it for anything in the world, because I love her and she brings me joy.Now, to get to the point of this post. I want to tell you about something amazing that I did. I MOVED. I moved three times actually. Amazingly, I KEPT MY FUCKING DOG! Can you imagine? Did you know someone can move and still keep their dog? What an amazing concept, isn't it?Oh, I also got married, had a baby, and changed jobs, AND STILL MANAGED TO KEEP MY DOG! Am I the only human being alive who's been able to do this?See that little cat next my dog in the picture, well we just found out she has AIDS, yes, feline AIDS. She will require expensive medicine for the rest of her short life. Guess what? I'M KEEPING THE FUCKING CAT TOO. I'm not going to dump her off on Craigslist to assuage some mild hint of guilt I feel because I'm too lazy, weak and irresponsible to fulfill a commitment I made to a living, loving animal.To all you who do otherwise, FUCK YOU! I hope your spouse leaves you, penniless and alone. May God keep you, though you don't deserve it.

[bran]

Love this Craigslist post concerning pet-abandonment:

http://fayar.craigslist.org/rnr/4837487579.html

I have had her for six years. She has been frustrating and infuriating at times. She has cost me money I wanted to spend on other things. She has been inconvenient at times. I've had to arrange my life with her in mind. I wouldn't trade any of it for anything in the world, because I love her and she brings me joy.Now, to get to the point of this post. I want to tell you about something amazing that I did. I MOVED. I moved three times actually. Amazingly, I KEPT MY FUCKING DOG! Can you imagine? Did you know someone can move and still keep their dog? What an amazing concept, isn't it?Oh, I also got married, had a baby, and changed jobs, AND STILL MANAGED TO KEEP MY DOG! Am I the only human being alive who's been able to do this?See that little cat next my dog in the picture, well we just found out she has AIDS, yes, feline AIDS. She will require expensive medicine for the rest of her short life. Guess what? I'M KEEPING THE FUCKING CAT TOO. I'm not going to dump her off on Craigslist to assuage some mild hint of guilt I feel because I'm too lazy, weak and irresponsible to fulfill a commitment I made to a living, loving animal.To all you who do otherwise, FUCK YOU! I hope your spouse leaves you, penniless and alone. May God keep you, though you don't deserve it.

great post, to me a pet will always be a family member not just something you throw away. my dog i had that passed away last year was left to die on a road in florida when my aunt found him, he was only a couple of months old and me and my family took him in. we had to put him one time in a kennel for 3 days(long story) and when we got him back his paws were covered in blood he was sick. the vet said he refused to eat, drink and all he did was claw at the ground trying to get out. the vet told me my dog was a one family dog and if i tried one day to get rid of him(or the rest of my family) he would starve himself to death. there was nothing i wouldnt do for my dog or the cat i had almost 20 years.

i remember hearing on the radio one time about pets and how an owner and a pet have a kind of mutual agreement that a dog or a cat will give you years of unconditional love and friendship but when the time comes where they need you to help them to ease their suffering you do it. so i did it for my dog and my cat and it killed me but i did it for what they gave to me. so when some piece of shit asshole leaves their dog dying beside the road or leaves their cat to starve to death it really pisses me off and its something that should never happen, you take care of your fucking pet like you do anyone else in your family.

Edited January 12, 2015 by bran

[downzy]

Great post Bran. Yeah, since moving in with my now fiancé who has a cat, I really get infuriated when I hear about people abandoning their pets. Apparently 180,000 animals end up at shelters every year, and 40 percent nearly leave. That's just terrible. I thought I'd start a discussion on the topic as I'd really recommend people not to adopt a dog or a cat (or any animal) if they're not willing to bear the costs and inconveniences. I just paid nearly $500 to have our cat's teeth cleaned, but he gives back so much love and devotion I didn't think twice.

[streak]

I think some sort of licencing system is needed.

[Len Cnut]

oh fuck off, you watch dog fights, dont gimme that bollocks

[Johnny Drama]

That kitten.

[DR DOOM]

Both of my dogs (and the last one, RIP) were rescues, one of which was on death row 3 times, and he is the coolest dog ever, he's a god damn teddy bear and would make a great "hospital dog" ( visiting sick kids in hospital).

The dogs eat before (and better) than I do, and I've spent thousands of dollars on a couple of operations too.

Nothing sickens me like cruelty and or abandonment of animals.

You should have to have a license to have an animal.

[Lio]

A license to have an animal? Would you like a license to have a baby as well? Probably not.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love animals and think owners that abandon their pets or mistreat them in any way, are horrible, but a license? That's taking it too far.

[DR DOOM]

I don't think so.

Look at how many dogs are destroyed in America alone every year- it's disgusting.

And yes, people should have to have a license to have a baby too!

[SoulMonster]

Perhaps just strengthen animal rights and allocate more resources to police and justice in penalizing anyone who mistreats animals? Abandoning a pet, as in just leaving it, should be penalized much harder. Lastly, we need to make more people aware of animal shelters and organizations that relocate pets.

[Dazey]

Would you like a license to have a baby as well?

Absolutely! I think that would be a brilliant idea.

[Lio]

I don't think so.

Look at how many dogs are destroyed in America alone every year- it's disgusting.

And yes, people should have to have a license to have a baby too!

Would you like a license to have a baby as well?

Absolutely! I think that would be a brilliant idea.

Ssh, I'd be in favour of a license for a baby too, but that's not a popular idea, I've noticed.

More realistically, I think I agree with SoulMonster.

Plus maybe more preventive measures, strict legislation of people who sell pets, because that's where it starts. Maybe there could be some sort of a list with people who have abandoned or abused their animals and they would no longer allowed to have animals. I'd be in favour of that too.

[Axls Rocket Queen]

Great post- it really irks me to see animals homeless because "I'm moving" or "I had a baby" etc...when you get an animal, you're making a commitment for that animal's lifetime, not until your circumstances make that animal an inconvenience. Especially the moving thing- a girl I know re-homed her cat because she was moving to a flat that didn't allow pets, and it was hard to not say anything to her. You wouldn't get rid of a child because a new house didn't allow them, you'd wait until you find a place that does! I got asked by so many estate agents while flat-hunting if my cats "really had to come" with me, and I just wanted to slap them.

I actually had one agent say "well some people aren't that attached to their animals" when he asked if I had to keep my cats Slightly retarded thing to say to a vet.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Axls Rocket Queen

[Len Cnut]

Would you like a license to have a baby as well?

Absolutely! I think that would be a brilliant idea.

You would you fuckin' fascist Tory shite

[highvoltage]

I actually had one agent say "well some people aren't that attached to their animals" when he asked if I had to keep my cats Slightly retarded thing to say to a vet.

Stupid thing to say to a vet no doubt, but it's very true.

It scares me to think what proportion of pet owners there are out there that really shouldn't own a pet at all.

[Axls Rocket Queen]

I actually had one agent say "well some people aren't that attached to their animals" when he asked if I had to keep my cats Slightly retarded thing to say to a vet.

Stupid thing to say to a vet no doubt, but it's very true.

It scares me to think what proportion of pet owners there are out there that really shouldn't own a pet at all.

Believe me, I see a fair number of them on a daily basis

[highvoltage]

I actually had one agent say "well some people aren't that attached to their animals" when he asked if I had to keep my cats Slightly retarded thing to say to a vet.

Stupid thing to say to a vet no doubt, but it's very true.

It scares me to think what proportion of pet owners there are out there that really shouldn't own a pet at all.

Believe me, I see a fair number of them on a daily basis

I sometimes wonder if I live with two of them....

Both my housemates own cats and love their animals to bits... but they overfeed them, and both of them have flea problems (one in particular has them REALLY bad - I spot 20+ on her forehead every day).

I get that front line is expensive, but if your animal is covered in fleas, you need to do something about it before it becomes a bigger problem. An occasional splash of apple cider vinegar isn't going to cut it.

[Axls Rocket Queen]

I actually had one agent say "well some people aren't that attached to their animals" when he asked if I had to keep my cats Slightly retarded thing to say to a vet.

Stupid thing to say to a vet no doubt, but it's very true.

It scares me to think what proportion of pet owners there are out there that really shouldn't own a pet at all.

Believe me, I see a fair number of them on a daily basis

I sometimes wonder if I live with two of them....

Both my housemates own cats and love their animals to bits... but they overfeed them, and both of them have flea problems (one in particular has them REALLY bad - I spot 20+ on her forehead every day).

I get that front line is expensive, but if your animal is covered in fleas, you need to do something about it before it becomes a bigger problem. An occasional splash of apple cider vinegar isn't going to cut it.

Poor baby!

See that kind of stuff really gets me, like fleas are so easy to prevent- yes it costs money but that's a responsibility you take on when you get a pet. We had this horrible couple bring in a tiny kitten that was so flea-ridden it had severe anaemia, its gums were seriously white and the poor thing was gasping for air because there just wasn't enough oxygen going round its system We had to put it to sleep right away, and it really makes you fear for its mother and siblings...

[Axls Rocket Queen]

[highvoltage]

Poor baby!

See that kind of stuff really gets me, like fleas are so easy to prevent- yes it costs money but that's a responsibility you take on when you get a pet. We had this horrible couple bring in a tiny kitten that was so flea-ridden it had severe anaemia, its gums were seriously white and the poor thing was gasping for air because there just wasn't enough oxygen going round its system We had to put it to sleep right away, and it really makes you fear for its mother and siblings...

What are some things I could keep an eye out for?

I was thinking of taking her to the vet myself if I noticed anything like dermatitis, etc. Anaemia sounds frigging awful....

At the moment, I try and spray her with flea spray (when my housemate isn't looking) and I spend time most nights picking them off her forehead one by one. She hates the spray, but she loves me picking them off her.

[Axls Rocket Queen]

Poor baby!

See that kind of stuff really gets me, like fleas are so easy to prevent- yes it costs money but that's a responsibility you take on when you get a pet. We had this horrible couple bring in a tiny kitten that was so flea-ridden it had severe anaemia, its gums were seriously white and the poor thing was gasping for air because there just wasn't enough oxygen going round its system We had to put it to sleep right away, and it really makes you fear for its mother and siblings...

What are some things I could keep an eye out for?

I was thinking of taking her to the vet myself if I noticed anything like dermatitis, etc. Anaemia sounds frigging awful....

At the moment, I try and spray her with flea spray (when my housemate isn't looking) and I spend time most nights picking them off her forehead one by one. She hates the spray, but she loves me picking them off her.

Do you guys have Advocate over there? It's a spot-on and tends to be better than Frontline, pop it on the back of her neck once a month and that should keep them off her. Running a flea comb through her coat should catch a fair number of them too, and get their dirt out of her coat. Yeah I'd keep an eye out for any scabby bits or sores, or if she seems very itchy...flea allergic dermatitis is fairly common in cats and dogs. If you want to freak your flatmate out into doing something, dampen a white towel and rub it through her fur. If she's got a lot of flea dirt in there it will go blood red as it gets wet that tends to shock people into sorting out pets that are crawling with them. I had a woman bring her white cat to me thinking it was bleeding from its neck, turns out it was just crusted with flea dirt which she then tried to clean off.

This conversation is making me itchy I also think my flat has fleas from whoever was here before Never treated my two as they're 100% indoor and they've never had fleas in their lives, they were going mad itching until I put advocate on, and I'm pretty sure I've gotten a bite or two Gonna spray EVERYTHING before we move to the new place!

[RandallFlagg]

When I was a kid, we got this border collie who was a fucking nutcase, I grew up living in pubs so there was constant furor as you'd expect, this dog loved everyone and would just curl up within an hour or two, in the middle of a packed pub. She'd been dumped in a skip with her two fellow puppies, some heartless miserable prick had just dumped them in it and it was a deep one and they couldn't get out. So this guy who was a regular in the pub asked around and we ended up with one of them, we called her Skippy, pretty corny but hopefully it turned around what could have been a very depressing fate, she died in 2010 but had 14 long years of an interesting canine life I'd hope. I remember carrying her, she got pretty hefty later on, to a field as she refused to walk, she gathered enough energy to exit stage left when this curious cow ambled over to see why we were sitting in its field lol.

[Len Cnut]

Great post- it really irks me to see animals homeless because "I'm moving" or "I had a baby" etc...when you get an animal, you're making a commitment for that animal's lifetime, not until your circumstances make that animal an inconvenience. Especially the moving thing- a girl I know re-homed her cat because she was moving to a flat that didn't allow pets, and it was hard to not say anything to her. You wouldn't get rid of a child because a new house didn't allow them, you'd wait until you find a place that does! I got asked by so many estate agents while flat-hunting if my cats "really had to come" with me, and I just wanted to slap them.

I actually had one agent say "well some people aren't that attached to their animals" when he asked if I had to keep my cats Slightly retarded thing to say to a vet.

Yeah but if you've just dropped a sprog and there's a chance Rover might decapitate the poor little mite then you're sort of left with a desicion to make eh?

[dontdamnmeuyi2015]

Thanks for posting this article. It touched my heart.

Having had cats throughout my life, I agree they are a part of your family. When I was a kid I didn't understand how my mom felt about our cats and how much losing them was so heartbreaking to her. Now being an adult and having my own cats and losing some of them, I totally understand people doing so many things to keep their pets in their lives. I've done that many times and continue to do so.

At one time I had 4 cats, but I lost 3. I had one male cat who has my heart forever. When I was ill he would sleep next to me and I felt like he knew I was going through a hard time and was comforting me in his own way. I also have a female cat now too. I would love to have more cats, but it's just too expensive so I donate to different animal shelters and donate what I can whenever I go to pet smart.

There are too many animals without homes and it's very sad.

I've seen so many dogs wondering around because stupid people just don't want them anymore and just dump them. You can drop the animals off at any shelter or even a vet's office instead of dumping them and possible them starving to death or getting hit by a car.

Pets depend on humans for care and love. They give you unconditional love no questions asked. All they want in return is love and affection and being fed and have a warm safe place to sleep.

I understand some people can't afford to keep their pets due to some issues, but at least have the heart to put them in a shelter or find someone who might take them. Don't dump them to fend for themselves wondering what did they do to deserve such a horrible fate.