Okay, I JUST read a post and I'm reeling with upset and sadness... :(

How does everyone feel about those people who get dogs and then decide to give them up? (:mad:)

Is there a reason to give away a dog after we've either adopted or purchased one? (Eww, I said "purchase":eek:!! ).

Do we live in such a "throw away" society?

Am I the only one out there that truly believes in COMMITMENT?! :confused:

MAN!!

I don't believe in giving a dog away that someone rescued or "purchased" unless you have a very good reason for it. An example would be an elderly person who couldn't take care of themselves or their pets any more. Things like that. Sadly I've had to give away two dogs in my life time. One was a border collie/ husky/wolf dog I rescued from a woman who had two female dogs and two litters of pups that we're being treated badly his name was Shaido. I gave that dog to my great aunt because she loved my dog and hers had passed away due to old age. The second dog I had to give away was shelby. She came from a home where she was locked in a room with her owner who passed away for 48 hours before someone came along and found them. I kept her for as long as I could but she had a thing against males. She even attacked my boyfriend when he was sitting on my couch. Wouldn't have had a face left if I hadn't got to her. Obedience training was tried. We tried to slowly re introduce her to males to show her that they were not evil. But it didn't succeede. We gave her to a cop couple here a few towns over and she is happy with them and the llamas and horses she gets to play with. It's a great dog now though :) so I'm happy I gave those two dogs away. And I've missed them since then. But I'd never just five one away for no good reason

Well, what did YOU LEARN in those cases of giving up two dogs?

Just LEARN from your mistakes and make sure you get a dog in a manner that you are equipped to deal with, if ever in your future.

It's so sad when someone dies leaving a dog behind. In that case, it's not a "give away", it's DEATH... which is the only thing that would separate me from my commitment to the dogs I've "purchased" and adopted, (short of "bequeathing" my babies... or leaving them w/ my husband whom I know can handle all 5 of them).

I adopted a dog that was dangerous toward men. I KNEW, as a trainer I could handle treating the dog and reorganizing his thought process. Now, if I didn't KNOW that I could fix him I would have leaned more toward what I can do... which I wish I could see more people being real and more in their heads and NOT their hearts when adopting shelter dogs and other dogs that are not "complicated" or difficult puppies.

I know we all have the best of intentions, but there are so many dogs out there that need a home and that do suit our capabilities.

How someone could just part with their dog is beyond me. I could never just pawn rex off on anyone, where I go he goes that's just how it is.

You see. We didn't know what she was like when we got her. We were told by the gentleman who dropped her off that she was OK just lonely. Boy she turned into a handful. But I took her in because I couldn't see another dog just being dropped off somewhere along the road. (which sadly you see often in the area I live in) I've seen people throw pups out moving cars and out onto the streets. The back country area I live in. (haha its really just a mountain but people are spaced out quite well in some places.. goodness there are only four houses on my little dirt road )alot of people don't seem to care about their dogs. But there are the ones like my best friend. Who own five and love them like they love their children.

Most times, people have an idealized vision of what a dog 'should' be. I actually took on another dog when a friend of mine's ex-girlfriend didn't realize that all dogs weren't naturally house-trained. A couple of poops in the house and the dog had to go!

But, by the same token, some dogs are better off without an owner who doesn't have the time to address these issues, don't you think?

Short of very extreme circumstances, I don't get how anyone could give away their dog. I think a lot of people decide to give them up because their dog was not properly trained, which would have been their responsibility in the first place.

When I was younger, we had a golden retriever puppy. I loved this dog as much as I've ever loved anyone. After a handful of months, my dad decided he wasn't up for the responsibility, and he gave it away to family friends without warning. You decide the responsibility *before* getting a pet; never, ever after. It's very hard to forgive something like that, and it wasn't at all fair to our incredible dog.

As far as I'm concerned, a pet is like a child. You can't decide to give it away. Perhaps more people need to understand just how much is involved in training, raising and loving a dog for life.

We once received a cat after its elderly owner died. The cat never got over this, missing the former owner and his old life (he was one of several housepets)and his old house. He had all kinds of problems like hiding toys and hoarding food. It was heartbreaking really. Maybe someone can produce a movie or write a pop novel about that, if people thought about it they wouldn't do it

I'm of two minds about this. Yes, people should do research and realize what they are getting into before they get a pet. (Although there is always a difference between what you think it's going to be like, and what the reality is.) But that doesn't always work. It's possible that you wind up with the rare Lab that hates kids, for example. Or you find out that you really aren't up to doing an hour walk every day to bleed off your dog's excess energy. And that's the people who do research. Let's not even think about the ones who get a terrier because they are small, so how much work can they be, when the owner works 10+ hours a day. In which case you get the competing issues of commitment on the one hand, and providing a pet with a suitable home on the other. Personally, I'd rather see the person who works long hours rehome the terrier rather than keep it because they are "committed" if they can't (or won't) change their behavior. Because the dog is just going to be frustrated and ill-behaved, and then the owner is going to get angry, and the situation is just going to get worse.

Part of the problem is that we can't "date" pets, like we do people, when we are looking for someone to share our life with. Most people get a pet by going on a blind date and falling for the surface, and that's bad.

I see that all you conscientious people agree with me... THANK you. We share the same respect for animals...

Yea Froggy7, I'm not impressed with one of your "minds" on this subject. It seems to me that one of them gives credence to the act of giving away a dog. The VERY essence of those excuses that you listed for changing your commitment to the adopted dog is what I am challenging. BEFORE you adopt a dog you need to negotiate all these issues w/in yourself... which is the whole point to this thread. By the time one has made the choice to HAVE dog the date is OVER and the commitment is at play NO MATTER WHAT.

Training is the only sollution for dogs that have behaviors that are unsuitable. Sometimes if a dog is too aggressive with a child then the owner/handler needs to help "train" the child in how to be around the dog. It's a two way street... and in NO CASE should one with children adopt a dog who isn't safe around kids, (if it's an adult dog. A puppy isn't predisposed to dislike anything, much less children). That responsibility is on the adult and handler to confirm! Choices are KEY in any decision that takes on another life, (including how many children even to have. We CHOOSE our own path... we DO have birth control!).

I purchased one of my dogs from a breeder in another province. I was so excited, in anticipation for the pup to be born and flown into my area. When we got this pup it was CLEAR in a very short time that she was hyper active and a MEGA handful to raise. We honeslty still refer to her as our "A.D.H.D dog". Willingly I would not have wanted this type of personality enter our ALREADY multiple dog home. It just adds too much "charge" to the harmony. The truth is... it's on YOU/US ALL to buck up and take the bull by the horns and dig down DEEP and OWN the choices we made to the dogs we take in to join our families. It's akin to having a collic baby that grows into a difficult child... the option to give up on that kid is NEVER, hopefully. In the world in which we live it seems like giving up on animals as they are considered one of our lowest levels on the totem pole... isn't quite a big stretch anymore as we give up on our own children in this day and age... in this "throw away" society.

Well people have as long as I've known them, been expecting to get a dog just like one they had as a kid, and expect it to act the same as that one did... or they see the popular dog of the day like for instance a Husky or a Dalmatian and get that breed because it is the latest craze, which they tend to discard as soon as the next fad appears. Animals all have their own unique and individual personalities which you can't do a lot about. I agree with you that autism and ADHD are also pet problems. You are not imagining that!

I know what you mean wildandblue, because of owning a husky it hurts me when people get a breed like this because of its looks and then give it up because of its energy level. When people want a dog or puppy they should do research about it and find out if its right for them, or not.

I can't imagine giving up my puppy for anything. I've only had her for 2 weeks but my husband and I love her to death. She's a little sweetie.

I feel the same way you do. You can't just throw away something that you have made a commitment to and something that you have grown to love. My dad gave away my doberman pincher because he met a girl and we moved in with her. And we had him since we were just a little pup. It actually destroyd me I loved that dog a lot. He was my protector and my companion. Did you know that everyday people throw there animals out on the streets and leave them to starve to death with no food or water I have seen this on TV shows and its ridiculous how many abandoned animals that are found each year. Why would you treat a living creature in such a way. Would you treat your child this way? I would advise anyone before putting yourself I this commitment to think really hard about it before you do it!

Some people think abandonment, they are giving the pet a chance since the pound is likely to euthanize it or want a donation. No pet has the street smarts to fend for itself!!
We live near a college and always at the end of the term the kids move out of their apartments and dump their pets!!

Is throwing out an unwanted dog like cleaning your desk after Christmas? The Poinsettia goes straight into the garbage for some. Any living thing deserves respect, especially a dog.

I have to say that I completely agree with this post. The commitment to have a dog has to include the training necessary for any dog in any situation, and dealing with the unexpected is wholly part of that. If you can't make all of those commitments from the beginning, you shouldn't own a dog. There's no such thing as saying, "i'll have a perfect dog, but if he's not exactly what i want him to be on his own, he's going to have to leave."

One time when I use to work at a pet shop a guy came in with a little black lab mix puppy wanting to sell it to us. We told him that we didn't buy and sale puppies so he left in a huff. The very next day a man came in holding the very same puppy, I could tell by the oddly shape white spot on its chest shaped like Africa, coming to get a collar for him. Apparently that morning he found the puppy dumped in a box on the side of the road! While I worked there I saw people come in with puppies, and a few months later either they want us to take it off their hands, or someone else walks in with the same dog that they just adopted from the pound. It broke my heart every time. The people I despised most was a family with three kids that cycled through puppies like paper towels. Buy it, play with it, dump it, then repeat.

Oh my goshhhhhh! That's enough to make me very sad. I just wish that we could be a more committed society... to each other, our kids AND our pets, (... at the risk of sounding like a flower child!! LMAAAAOOOOOOOO!).

See the thread https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/w...og-271230.html

This sorry excuse dumped a puppy off to the pound because it had parvo. I am shaking from anger!!