Saturday 10 September 2011

re-homing dogs

While I believe that owning a dog is a lifelong commitment, I do understand that there are times when a dog must be re-homed. This does not mean dropped off at a shelter, but it could include working with a rescue organization or your vet to network and find a more suitable home for your dog. Sometimes a dog may have to be re-homed if the family situation changes (increasing number of children often means decreasing amount of time for your dog), financial situation changes, or other unknown factors that crop up. When I was a kid my family had to re-home our dog, because my parents just could not figure out how to deal with her anxiety issues in a humane way.

However, I have met a few people who have re-homed dogs for reasons that I cannot comprehend. For example, people who have re-homed an older dog when it did not get along with their newer dog. And these are pets, not working dogs in any capacity. While I believe that working dogs should still be loved and cherished, I understand that there are different standards for dogs who serve a purpose. For example, I could understand a family re-homing their pet border collie to another family who could guarantee work for the dog. Likewise, service dogs who have been retired and their human was unable to care for them as a pet. 

Oops, better get back on track. The point of this post is...

How can you choose to give up a dog you have loved for the past six years, to keep a dog you have had for the past two months? Shouldn't seniority count for something? If anyone can explain this to me, I would love to hear from you.

I suppose I should remember that we live in a throw-away society, and that our pets are often treated with less respect than our cell phones.

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