This was the original guys post:
> Can anyone suggest what to do with two dogs that I can no longer keep?
> I would rather not have them "disposed" of. > One is a beagle mix I call "Tigger".He is about 5 years old.
> The other is mostly black Lab, named "Deefer" ( "D", 'fer-dog). Deefer is
> 3
> and a half years old.
> They were both strays that I took in.
>
> If anyone would like to have them, call ***-****, and ask for Dave or
> Kelly.
My response:
What do you mean by "disposed" of? When you bring a companion animal into your home it's supposed to be a life to death committment - would you "dispose" of your 2 year old child when they were no longer convenient to your lifestyle?
I have to tell you that beagles and black labs are a dime a dozen - there's a million of them out there and they're really hard to dump off on other people - now if you had a shih-tzu or a little poodle mix - we could talk. But a beagle and a lab? The only person they have any value to is the family who they (the dogs) think of as being their family. But if you think of them as being so highly "disposable"
maybe they'd be better off somewhere else anyway. They're probably tied outside in your back yard right now so that you don't have to look at them, right? Because that's where dogs should be? Don't tell me - you're moving to an apartment and that's why you need to "dispose" of them? You won't have a backyard that they'll be tied out in for 24 hours a day anymore so you've got to get rid of them now.
By asking to have someone else "dipsose" of them you're foisting your responsibility onto someone else. It was a birth to death committment as I mentioned earlier. If you put them into the shelter system - ie take them to the SPCA and surrender them - you may very well be giving them a death sentence. You have no control over that. And you are also putting their death on someone else's conscience which is WRONG.
My suggestion to you if you are an upstanding human being is to be there for those dogs because those dogs love you and you alone and you owe it to be there for them at the end of their lives in that vet's office and not have some stranger killing them when it should be you who does it and it should be YOU who sees the confused look in their eyes when the needle goes into their hip and the life drains quickly
from their body - because THEY WERE NO LONGER CONVENIENT FOR YOU. And then it will be YOU who has to live with that and not the shelter worker.
That's what my suggestion is.
Joan
Man stuff like that really gets me going.
I TOTALLY agree! as I used to foster dogs I ran into some real idiots. The biggest was a set of dogs posted on MAR. A 1 year old husky and an 8 year old beagle, moving, will be put to sleep Friday if not adopted. The husky went right away. Of course the senior beagle did not. So I had someone tell her I would meet them in Liverpool on the "move" and take the dog. I already had 4 dogs but whatever. Sid was perfect. My best friend adopted him the day i took him home and if anything happens I will take him. He is the best dog. Soo anyways, a few weeks later the lady calls me, the people that were moving in with her didn't and now she can have sid back. I lost it. I said you had an actual appointment to put him down Friday til I called you. She sai "our roomates were allergic we didnt know what to do" I freaked out, "he would be dead if I didn't save your ass so you don't get him back, then she had the nerve to ask if I knew any other dogs looking for a home. I hung up on her. She emailed me a few times to vivist Sid and I said no then stopped answering. Sid has been spoiled rotten with my best friend for almost 2 years now, not buried in the ground. Hmmm, I wonder, yeah I think I'll run right out and get you another dog you idiot!
ReplyDeleteI hate people
Sonia,, I'm not registered yet :)
www.prrr.ca
Hate to disagree, but I do on a few counts.
ReplyDeleteFirst, the context is that these dogs were strays that they took in. Not cute puppies at the pet store. In that context, I'd save the black bile for the original owner that "set them free." The second context is that this person is basically asking for advice that will increase the chances that these dogs will end up in good homes; that they are aware that taking them to the pound or shelter does not leave a good chance of their survival. They asked the question a little callously, but they're asking to a general audience - people looking to buy deals - not an animal-friendly audience, and so they're likely to get one callous reply such as "allow me to dispose of them for you."
Joan, your response was very emotional. Of course. But I hope you didn't click "send" right away. These hot-under-the-collar e-mails rarely beget positive change. Maybe you've heard of Dave and Kelly before, or have different e-mails of theirs to be making the judgments you have of them - but if not, holy cow, you've taken the word "disposed" and turned them into dog-chaining last-minute solipsists. Ow. But if they were, do you think you'd have changed their minds any?
Lastly, I extremely strongly discourage people putting down their own animals. That's why, whenever possible, I say "end of its NATURAL life." There is a woman in the wacky world of rats that recently put down a healthy young male "because no one wanted him" - not a true statement, by the way, but only a judgment on his foster/rescue status in the first place (which really burns me up) - but could not bear to do the same for the rats that she herself intentionally 'acquired.' You keep the animal until you can find it a trustworthy (not politically/socially convenient) home. Otherwise, you take it in to a shelter and provide for it financially until they can find it a home. You put a "do not destroy" on their file if need be. You might fail, but this is what you aspire to do.
I know how you feel. It's the same with domestic birds. As far as excuses go, my personal favorite for giving up a bird is, "Well, I rearranged the living room and the bird just doesn't 'go' with the furniture any more." Congratulations, you are what's wrong with people.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that there is ever any excuse for "disposing" of an animal.
--KFL