Oct
29

Irresponsible Pet Owners the Root of the Problem

We have been discussing shelters a lot lately. As a matter of fact to some of you it may seem as if I am attacking the shelter system. I am not. I am merely pointing out what is wrong with our current system, as well as exposing common practices that some of you are unaware of. After all we have to know what it is we are truly dealing with before we can hope to change it.

However, not all the problems associated with the shelter system can be placed on their shoulders. They are merely trying to find a way to deal with the large number of animals that irresponsible pet owners abandoned or abuse each and every year. Granted, there is a better way to handle it and NO KILL is possible, but we will get to that later. Right now I want to discuss the irresponsible pet owners that create the problem in the first place.

If you are reading this, you are probably not one of them, but you probably know at least one irresponsible pet owner. They are the people to whom a pet is simply a possession. They have no problem abandoning an animal for their own convenience, after all they can always get another one when their situation changes. They believe animals are primitive creatures incapable of thinking or feeling, and emotional attachment. Some of them see their animal as a status symbol the same way they view their car or their home or that $500.00 pair of shoes.

This past summer I took in a pair of ten year old cats. They had been together since birth, always lived with the same owner. The recession hit their owners hard and they had to sell their home and move into rented lodgings. Sad, but it happens. Most people would be sure to find rental housing that would allow them to have their family pets right? Not this couple, to them the pets they had shared their home with for the past decade were DISPOSABLE. They were that $500.00 pair of shoes, now weathered worn and comfortable but a little shabby. The kind of old shoes you throw away because they are too worn for anyone else to want. These owners did not bother to look for a suitable rental home that would allow them to keep the pets they had shared the past ten years with. They took the first rental that came along which suited their purpose, it did not allow pets. Their moving date was a month away.

Most of us would want to place our animals in a loving home if we were forced to part with them. We would start looking for that home as soon as we knew we had to part with or pet. The owners of these two ten year old cats did not bother. On their moving day they called me. If I did not take the two cats off their hands they would drop them in a box outside the local shelter. I of course grabbed my car keys and a crate and headed out. No animal was going to end up in a shelter on my watch! Especially not a pair of seniors that had always been together.

I arrived at the home battling my way through boxes and moving men to get to the front door. Upon speaking with the owners I asked why they had not rehomed the cats prior to their move. I was told that wasn’t their job, that was what the shelter was for! I lost no time getting the cats in the crate and putting the crate in the car. On my way home all I could think was “these types of owners are the root of the problem.“ Until humans stop viewing animals as property, nothing will change. Once again I renewed my vow to educate as many people as possible about the worth of animals. I also renewed my resolve to see an animal rights act drafted and passed in Canada. Until animals are given individual rights they will be viewed as possessions. As long as animals are viewed as possessions, people will dispose of them the same way they would an old pair of shoes.

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK

Janette

October 29, 2010 // Posts by Viktor // 4 Comments //

4 Comments to “Irresponsible Pet Owners the Root of the Problem”

October 29, 2010 at 10:01 am
Sheila White says:

Janette, you are 100% right. Years ago we moved across Canada, and then back again, renting at both ends, with 4 cats. So-called “owners” are, indeed, the root of the problem. The problem is then passed on to others, and there are not enough others, of good will, to cope with “the problem”, that “problem” being wonderful, sentient animals.

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- October 29, 2010 at 10:33 am
  Janette Hamilton says:
  
  I have moved MANY times, rented always right up until I met my husband 7 years ago, and I have always had multiple animals. Every time I moved I searched for a place that was willing to allow me to keep my pets. In some places that meant paying a ridiculously high security deposit, but that is what you do when some of your family members are four legged and furry. None of them are disposable.
  
  No one would dream of throwing a child away because they couldn’t find an apartment that wasn’t in an adult community would they? Same thing applies to my animals thanks.
  
  People are still living in the dark ages when it comes to animals. You would think with everything we have learned about them more people would “get it” and be responsible about both their decision to become a pet owner, (for lack of a better term, I personally don’t believe I “own” my pets) and realistic about what pet ownership means.
  
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October 29, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Amy Zupan says:

I cannot agree more! I always tell people (anyone within earshot, actually) that a pet is not a commodity. I tell them, before you adopt a pet, ensure you have $600 of disposable money in your bank account. That pet will need to be fed, vetted, possibly spayed/neutered (if it hasn’t been done), any illnesses or parasites will need to be addressed… Then you have treats, water, licensing (for a dog), toys, bedding, litter… And after that, you have annual check ups, testing, sickness and/or injury… I advise that a ‘free pet’ isn’t a free pet under any circumstance. A purchased pet has the same requirements.

If someone is not willing to forgo their next Playstation game, dinner date or vacation in the event you run short on funds or there is an injury or illness… DO NOT ADOPT.

If you are not willing to commit the next ‘x’ amount of years to your adoptee…DO NOT ADOPT.

If you do not have a contingency plan in place in the event of your job loss, illness or death…DO NOT ADOPT.

Personally, I have guardians and back up guardians in place in the event of my illness or death. I have a portion of my life insurance designated in my will to be put in trust to the guardians so that my pets do not cause financial distress to them.

Job loss or poverty for me, is a non-issue. I would live on macaroni and cheese for the rest of my life so long as my pets are fed and vetted. I would beg, borrow and steal for them, if necessary.

It is our responsibility when we take an innocent life into our homes to provide for them for life. It is our responsibility to ensure they are taken care of for their entire lives. It is our responsibility to ensure they are cared for in the event of tragedy. I understand that sometimes, our best efforts may fail, but the problem lies in that most people don’t even put forth their best effort. Even the simple act of spaying and neutering your pet would reduce the amount of unwanted animals in shelters. If people could even be responsible enough to do that simple act….

When I went to the shelter 10 years ago to adopt kitten #3, I saw cages and cages full of unwanted pets. About 75 of them. Cats and kittens. Some from homes where they were loved for years. Some, like my Sierra, who were disposed of prior to being born. Her Mom was dropped off with a note that said, “The damned thing got pregnant.” This was a kill shelter. I rescued little Sierra, but her Mom, sister and 3 brothers died the next morning as the shelter made room for a new shipment of unwanted cats and kittens. I took my time talking to her Mom, her brothers and her little calico sister. I told them I would love Sierra forever. I promised her Mom that Sierra would know nothing but love. 10 years later, I am still haunted by their faces and voices.

I am Mom to 4 cats, now: The aforementioned Sierra (10 years old), her older sister, Kalara (12 years), and younger siblings: Holly (5 years) and Zatoichi (3 years). They also have sisters in a Yellow Lab (Astra – 7 years old) and 2 rats (Onyx and Giggles – 2 1/2 years old each). The newest addition is our little human sibling, Julian (age 2 years) who, like his Mommy, knows only love, respect and responsibility for our furry counterparts.

If society is judged by how we treat the least of us, we are failing terribly.

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July 14, 2011 at 10:20 am
Stay strong says:

[...] irresponsible possesion of pets is very common. It is when people do not give their pets the care needed, such as food, shelter or [...]

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