Disposable Pets...

[Lost_Soul]

Animals of any kind are not disposable, it makes me mad when parents think its such a good idea to get thier child a pet and then later on they think because life is getting hectic, or thier child is going off to college that they have to get rid of the pet...

Lets see..how about roll reversal, my kids are getting out of hand, I am too busy to take care of them..Oh OK lets get rid of them..I know thier are people out there that do this to children..BUT, my point is that animals are like children, any parent should realize this, its not rocket science here people!

Pets are not just a fad, and then when the fad ends its time to dump them into a shelter..Makes me sick! All of my pets where "throw aways"..

What gets me is if the pet gets sick...Oh no! I cant afford to help it get better..Well if you cant afford to help it get better then dont get a PET!

I am sorry I needed to vent...

One of my rabbits passed away, she lived to be 9 years old, she was a throw away at Easter time, the kid didnt even have her a week and lost interest So I took her home and she lived with me until her last day...9 years!

People need to think about what they are doing! Think about it, it's not rocket science!!!

You cant afford a pet, dont get a pet...If you know that your child is going to lose interest, dont get a pet, get a stuffed animal...

Parents tend to think, "Oh let me get "insert child here" a pet, let them learn responsibilty..And a week later or even 2 years later, that pet ends up in a shelter...

Now not ALL children are like this and not ALL parents are like this...

I am a parent of 3 kids and 10 fur kids..And I never thought that I should bring in a pet for my child to take care of..Now they help me with cleaning the cages and feeding, but I dont expect them to do this..Because they are 5 years old and 3...I am teaching them how to care for pets, but not putting sole responsibilty on them...


Again, sorry I needed to vent..

[Marlania]

Originally Posted by Lost_Soul

What gets me is if the pet gets sick...Oh no! I cant afford to help it get better..Well if you cant afford to help it get better then dont get a PET!

Amen. What really burns me is that it's usually "I'm not paying for it" instead of "I can't afford it."

[suzilovespiggie]

I too do not believe animals are disposable. I believe it's like taking a vow. Until death.
You take care of them in sickness and in health. You promise them a life of no pain, if the pain is to much you do what's best for the animal not yourself. It's a comittement, it's work, its a joy, it's love. They are a gift. A wonderful gift.
I could vent also, but If I get going I won't stop. Animals are a living, breathing, feeling, creatures. I agree if you won't give 100% all that they need. Dont get them.

[bunnyluv17]

I volunteer at the local SPCA, and some of the reasons people give for abandoning their pets are ridiculous! The latest one is a rabbit that was recently returned to the shelter after being adopted, and one reason they gave for giving him up was that they "put him outside and he turned gray." Not only are all rabbits adopted from us supposed to be house rabbits, but they returned a pet because his color changed slightly??!!!! One of the more common excuses for small animals also include "don't want", how stupid is that! Why did you get the pet in the first place? Another good one is two young rabbits were turned in because the owners said they were eating them out of house and home! How much can two rabbits eat?!

[daftscotslass]

The two most ridiculous reasons my local rescue has heard for getting rid of guinea pigs:

"They squeak too loud, anyway."

"If we were to keep it, we wouldn't have room for the Christmas tree."

[redrocketpop]

At our local shelter we have tons of rabbits and I was talking with one of the non-volunteer workers there and she said that there's one guy who for the past 5 years or so has bought two rabbits for his kids to play with...for the summer. In the fall, he brings the rabbits in to the shelter. Rinse and repeat.

The most common reason I see there for bringing in small animals is "allergic to the bedding". Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know there was only one kind of bedding in the entire world...I mean, my boyfriend is allergic to GPs, not their bedding. Like really allergic as in when they touch his skin he gets hives. Even with that, he just takes precautions when he's playing with them...like wearing a long sleeved shirt or washing his skin immediately after handling. Bedding allergies really just doesn't sit well as an excuse with me.

[Kriket]

Originally Posted by daftscotslass

The two most ridiculous reasons my local rescue has heard for getting rid of guinea pigs:

"They squeak too loud, anyway."

"If we were to keep it, we wouldn't have room for the Christmas tree."

I want to volunteer at a shelter, but I'm afraid I'll reach over and smack someone in the head (or worse) if that happened. I didn't have room for a christmas tree either until I moved my babies to the bedroom. It wasn't that hard of a more for craps sake. People are so lazy and stupid.

[BabyGrl]

Pets are not just a fad, and then when the fad ends its time to dump them into a shelter..Makes me sick! All of my pets where "throw aways"..

What gets me is if the pet gets sick...Oh no! I cant afford to help it get better..Well if you cant afford to help it get better then dont get a PET!

I wish more people would just understand this. I have been wanting to get some more pets for a long time now. I would love to have a few rabbits and ferrets. I can't, however, afford to care for them right now. So am i going to rush out on a whim to go and get them anyhow? Hell no. I am sure i could afford caging and food and all of that but if every pet were to get sick at once could I afford that? No way. I think alot of people just don't realize that something like that happening is a possibility and they need to be prepared for it in case it does happen.

[Cavykid14]

Yeah I know what you mean. My friend's mom has 3 Guinea Pigs, 2 Ferrets, 1 Rat and 2 Cats and 1 dog and she said that if they move into a smaller house the Guinea pigs are the first to go so I of cource said (because 2 of them are boars) that I would take the 2 in so they didn't have to go to the shelter, one was a all black boar that was getting literally mauled in this met store because the store decided that storing rabbits and guinea pigs would save room and so they did that and of cource the rabbits just have their way with the Guinea pigs. So they took the black one for free and the other one they got from a breeder. The kids never play with them and then I went up there to check on them and they had no food, low water, no hay, and it was in a store baught 3X2 cage and there were 2 in there so yeah I got ticked off and I just wanted to take them home. But here is the real reason I had to post this. They have this sow that keeps chewing her skin because they had to put her on a diet because she got to fat and nobody plays with her so I just suggested getting a friend and his mom just snapped and me. but I just thaught it was bs and I told them I'll take the 2 boars.

[Cavyslavesteph]

I totally agree. My boyfriend and I wanted cats this year since we finally had a place of our own. We started looking at cats for adoption, and decided we really wanted a senior cat. We are just about to finish college and didn't want to make a commitment to a kitten with 15+ years, knowing that we couldn't guarantee we would absolutely be able to keep the cat for that long. When we finally moved in, we discovered our apartment had all these expensive non-refundable deposits for cats (luckily none for piggies). We thought that the most fair thing to do is to not get a cat until we can afford and have time. We got our piggies and have committed completely to them. They are with us "til death do us part". It breaks my heart to see all the animals waiting for homes (as I still want a cat and more piggies), but we had to decide what was best for them. Having our three piggies is what we can afford and commit to right now. At this point it does not matter what we want to have, but what we can responsibly have. There will always be homeless animals and it makes much more sense to wait until you know you can commit to that animal. I hate it when people see pets as an inconvenience.

[Carissa]

At this point it does not matter what we want to have, but what we can responsibly have.

I wish more people would think this way. One couple we know keeps getting dogs and then dropping them off somewhere in the country when the dog doesn't act quite the way they want it to. This is far worse than bringing them to the humane society. The one dog was even a little toy dog. I keep finding out about it too late to take them in myself. They just got a dog this spring again and its really good with their kids and everything but I heard her say she wants to get a new dog, and this is the Mom! And the worst part is that she has two little girls that will grow up thinking the exact same way. It is so upsetting. This time though I will offer to take the dog myself and rehome it hopfully they will agree to that. I do wish more people in this area would suck up there pride and turn there animals in to the humane society instead of dropping them off in the middle of no where so they starve to death. At least at the humane society they have a chance at a new life. My cat, Oscar was a drop off who was lucky enough to wander into a loving home that was willing to get him vet treatment. My guess is it was the same old story about not willing to pay for vet care.

[Lost_Soul]

I have 10 pets, use to have 11 until Ditto passed last week from old age..I set aside money for the, as we call it emergency funds...We use it for pets, kids, whatever is an emergency...Mostly it is used on pets...

We are by no means a wealthy family..but we budget our money..we like many live pay check to paycheck..But always have the money set aside for the just incase's...

I actually rescued my own dog from horrid conditions..he was tied to a tree in Philadelphia and used as a bait dog to train fighting dogs..He was only 11 months old..needless to say I had to carry a gun when I went and got him..the owner put up a fight and threatend my life...I had police there, my carry permit and my firearm...Scary stuff...But here he is with me..and will stay with me till his last day..As will all my pets..

I put this messege up because also the holidays are around the corner, and stupid people go out and impulse buy...

I also every year make flyers and post them around pet shops and other places reminding people that pets are forever and not just a disposable pet...I get in trouble almost every year too...

[homeschoolmama]

I wholeheartedly agree! I could have cried when we brought Junior home. He'd been dumped at the humane society because he was "ugly." He is the absolute most adorable abysinnian I've ever seen... and no, of course I'm not biased And when we were told about Oreo, it was because family #1 couldn't control their own kid, and family #2 wasn't ready for a pet. No pet should be disposable. We thought long & hard (for about a year!) about getting a pet, and what the long term responsibilities would be before Mr. Pigg ever came to live with us.

I can understand vet bills getting expensive. But that's no excuse for getting rid of a pet. When my daughter was hospitalized last year for a nasty virus, we certainly didn't ship her off to an orphanage just because the bills got steep. No, we picked up extra hours at our 2nd job and paid them! We do save a little money each month specifically for "medical emergencies." It doesn't get spent, it just slowly adds up so the money will be there if we need it. And as far as my husband & I are concerned, that would apply to the piggies as well.

[Cavyslavesteph]

That is such a great attitude, and great idea that you save up money before something happens. I cannot believe someone dropped off Junior because he was ugly. That is horrible, and just shows that they were obviously not in pet ownership for the pets. Our Lizzie is abysinnian as well, and we absolutely love her hair, right down to her "dorky bangs" that stick flat on her head! I have to admit that we didn't know that much about pigs when we got our girls. We even made the beginner mistakes of buying from a petstore and getting a petstore cage. Once I found this website, we made a lot of changes, and found out how much work piggies actually are. My dad adopted a cat for my sister and I when we were younger, and we are gone, but the cat is not. My dad emphasized to us that pets are not disposible. He talked to me before and after we got them (and I am now 21) that they don't go back to the shelter because they got boring or inconvenient or any other excuse. Be it a cat, dog, guinea pig, or fish, you have committed to that pet and it doesn't end when you want it to. I wish parents would emphasize this lesson more (instead of the exact opposite of the dog owners in your neighborhood), because kids learn what you show them. It should be responsible and compassionate pet ownership.

[Krysanthemum]

Originally Posted by daftscotslass

"If we were to keep it, we wouldn't have room for the Christmas tree."

Lol. I'm about to have this exact same problem, the cage is where I would usually put the Christmas tree. Difference is, I'll move the tree somewhere else. Good grief.

[CuteButShyPig]

I right now am very sad, in my local SPCA there are a total of 20.. yes 20, which is 19 more than there usualy are, guinea pigs that will be spending their xmas there. I want to adopt two and I have money, space, and everything but my mother said 'when you are 18 you can have a piggy rescue, just not now you can't save all of them' I know this is true but if I am responsible why can't I just go ahead and get one? I guess I can't be mad at my mother but it just ticks me, like you all said, that people just give up on their pets. Horrible...just horrible.