Hi everyone, earlier today MamaAndi posted a thread about her day she spent volunteering at her local animal shelter, and how our dogs were so fortunate to be loved and taken care of, and how sad it was to watch these poor abandoned dogs in the shelter. Going to the shelter makes me so sad, and so angry, and I just want to take them all home with me. I don't understand how someone can just dump off a dog and abandon them at a shelter, and walk away never knowing if they were adopted to a new loving home, or if they were euthanized, knowing they are left alone in a cage, alone and scared. It's so sad to see these poor little faces staring at you through the fences, and they're either barking like crazy, tails are wagging, and they are so happy to have human contact and interaction, then some of them look so depressed, and sad, and they barely move because they are sitting in the corner shaking like a leaf, because they are so scared. All they want is love. People leave them there for reasons like I or my kids have allergies, I didn't know he was going to be that big, I don't have time for the dog anymore, he's misbehaved, he bites, I can't afford him anymore, or a hundred other lame reasons. Did they not know these things before they got the dog? Do they not know that a dog is a lifelong commitment, that they rely on us for everything just like a baby or a child, but unlike children who as they grow up, become more and more independent, a dog will never be able to feed or walk himself, or help himself if he's sick or hurt. That dog will depend on you to take care of it, feed it, walk it, and in the end make the right decision on how to let him go. That dog will never grow up and be independent and move out. That dog will be loyal and love you conditionally until his very last breath, and all he asks for in return is love, shelter, and to live his life with his family. He doesn't want to be played with and cuddled just when he's a puppy, and then when the novelty wears off, to be banished to the backyard tied up and forgotten, he doesn't want to be dropped off and left behind in a shelter with strangers, and not know why he's there, or why his family abandoned him, and he doesn't want to be dropped off at the vet at the end of his life and left to die on his own, he wants you to make the right choice at the right time, and then he wants you to hug him, and love him, and talk to him, and stay with him until his last minute, even if its hard, and sad for us, he wants our comfort, and to know he's loved until the very end, and our pets deserve nothing less than that. They are a part of our family, not just a pet, and they should be treated the same as any other family member, with love, food, vet care, comfort, dignity, and security that they need and deserve. Anyone who isn't willing to do this when they bring a pet Into their lives shouldn't get a pet, they should leave that little puppy at the store, or at the breeders, and look at them through the window, but don't buy that dog unless you're willing to make the sacrifices and love and treat the animal as they should be treated.
