Pets are Family Too!

I help rescue dogs. It has become a very important part of my life. The frustration behind this piece has been building all summer. Part of my duties include listening to voice mails for our organization on Thursdays and returning and or routing calls to the proper parties.
 
All summer long we have been receiving calls from dog and cat owners who want us to take their animals.  I know that some people will counter that “the economy is to blame.” Really?  Would you turn your child in to a Fire station or Hospital claiming that you can no longer afford him or her?
 
My dogs are part of my family. If for some reason I had to part with either of them, I would exhaust every resource I had at my disposal to find a new home for them. I would find a way to make room in my budget for their food and vet expenses.
 
I think that many of the people who are calling us to give up their dogs are doing it because it’s expedient. If they cut back on all the money they spend on their I-phones, texting, internet fees, satellite or cable television and other superfluous spending they could “afford” to keep their animals.
 
I suspect that in most cases these humans just don’t want to bother. It’s too much work. The dog or cat “doesn’t fit into their lifestyle anymore.”
 
If you take away nothing else from this piece please know this; a family pet is not an impulse buy. They are living beings and some of them have an intelligence level equivalent to a two-year old child. Never under any circumstance take one on as a whim. If you are feeling impulsive get a stuffed animal.