A dog is for life... not just for Christmas.
I am quite upset today as I have just received an email from someone who wants to give up her dog. The reason for doing so is because she is too busy. Apparently her hectic work schedule means that she can't care for her dog anymore. What ticked me off most was the fact that she actually wanted to sell the dog. I think that it is already quite dreadful that she has decided that she can't keep the dog because she's too busy. But to actually sell the dog in an attempt to make some money out of the poor dog is, in my opinion, unethical!
What I am trying to say is that you should never get a dog on a whim or just because you think you need the companionship or because you think it's cute. Getting a dog is a life-long responsibility. You must know what you're getting yourself into. You must be prepared to spend the next 10-15 years of your life looking after the dog. Your dog depends on you for everything, just like a child. You must provide your dog with clean food and water, shelter, exercise, grooming, companionship, verterinary care and protection! You must be able to afford maintaining a dog. You should never treat your dog like a piece of furniture that you can just get rid off when you're tired dof it!
Your dog is part of your family... (and readers of my blog will know that I put dogs on equal footing as children). Would you get rid of your children because you have a new job that demands a lot more of your time? Would you get rid of your children because they constantly get into things that they shouldn't?
Dogs have feelings too, and they will hurt emotionally as much as humans would if they are neglected. This in turn may result in bad behaviour and/or agression. All because they crave for your attention and affection... Please think carefully before getting yourself or someone else a dog...
A dog is for life, not just for Christmas!
4 comments:
Hi Natasha. I totally agree with your post. No dogs should be treated like toys or a piece of furniture. Dogs are for life just like children. Sumtimes, I think what's the reason these people adopt dogs for? Is it becoz it's cute? OR is it just for luck? Sumtimes I wonder, do they even like dogs??? Just like my friend in school, when I said that I was fostering a pup & want to give it out for adoption, she said she wants! But then she said that when it growns up, she'll give it away to her grandparents becoz it'll no longer look cute. So, I just taught maybe I won't give to her. That already shows that she has no interest in dogs!
Hello Melissa,
I get so irritated with people like that. Like you said, the reason alot of people get dogs or cats is cause they're cute. But once they stop being cute, or get sick or something, then what? Some people don't even consider the amount of time, effort and not to mention money they need to spend before getting a dog/cat. And then when it hits them say 2 months down the line, the poor animal is the one that suffers. Malaysians especially have a long way to go with regards to responsible pet ownership!
I totally agree with this. My next-door neighbors on both sides are complete idiots when it comes to this matter. Our family gave a puppy away to one next-door neighbor's daughter because she was crying every night to her parents about wanting him so badly. A few years later, we hear the grown-up dog squealing and the daughter screaming 'STUPID DOG!' The dog ran away from home soon after, I don't blame him and I do hope he's safe. My other next door neighbor has completely abandoned their pet cat after moving house 2 mths ago. another beautiful creature left to the streets. it drives me bonkers!
Hi Disco-very,
Unfortunately, this phenomenon is prevalent in this country. Last year we found a silky that was abandoned. We tried to locate the owners but our efforts were futile.
And after a fashion we deducted that it was abandoned, as it had a severe ear and lung infection, and heart worms! So we've adopted it ourselves... And she's doing great now.
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