Vent--stupid pet owners and moving

[mbrogier]

I belong to a local freecycle group. Someone in that group is moving and is getting rid of her 4 pets: two dogs and two cats. One dog is an older collie, the other is a young, excitable jack russell. Her daughter wants the cats, but she only wants the daughter to take one cat, not both. (one has stress incontinence, and she's afraid of messing up her carpet) The daughter said she didn't want to separate the cats because of the book "Where the Red Fern Grows. (the mother doesn't know what the book is about.) I totally understand that. My two cats are so close that the vet put Gris in Macavity's cage when they got fixed and were recovering because Macavity was stressing so much by himself. (he never does that, but he said it was obvious they were better together)

Why oh why do you get pets if you're not willing to go the distance? They're not disposable. They mourn the loss of their mates--whether by death or human interference. I can understand a we-had-to-move-in-a-hurry-because-dh-got-laid-off-and-we-just-can't-take -them. This is a "I don't want them in my new house" dump before the move. So sad. The daughter will be a good pet owner when she grows up because she'll never do this to her kids. I really want to email this ignoramus and tell her off, but I'll settle for venting here.

(I do understand that sometimes you just can't take your pets, but you do what you want to do. I've moved 4 times in 5 years and it was always with 2 cats and half of that was also with a parrot. If you love them, you do it.)

[oskie]

DF and I are looking to adopt a dog and it's absolutely heartbreaking to read the stories posted on each of the cages at the shelter. So many people find it easier to just get rid of the pet, rather than help them deal with the stress of moving. (yeah, because living in a shelter is sooooo much better for the dog)

Like you said, sometimes there are extenuating circumstances. The dog we had when I was growing up was from a family where the parents got divorced, dad didn't want the dog and mom/son couldn't take him in the apartment they were moving to. These people were so concerned about the dog's welfare that they took him to the vet the week before they surrendered him to ensure he was up-to-date on all his shots.

But to keep your new house clean? Please. Last time I checked, life was a messy process.

[HejazSunKat]

That really does hurt to hear. Especially an older pet or one with a medical problem how could they expect anyone to adopt it? I'll never forget when my dog got run over many years ago (I still have a nightmare loop that runs in my head of the incident a decade later) how shocked I was at how many people thought we should just put him to sleep rather than spend the money making him well. I hope there's a happy ending for these furry little guys.

BTW - What's a 'freecycle' group?

[CompassRose]

That's horrible. (That's how we got Zozo. Her people were moving to a fancy condo. They weren't even going to freecycle her; my vet called because they'd brought her in to be put down -- an adorable little three-year-old fluffprincess.)

I disagree, actually -- I'd be right in there ripping a strip, and d__n the consequences. Our Freecycle list has a rather extensive paragraph on Freecycling animals and the ethics thereof, in fact.

Freecycle is great (usually), Linda. It's an email list, they're organised by region. You post offers of stuff -- the kind of stuff you'd usually sell at a garage sale maybe or give to Goodwill, good stuff that you don't want/need. The response on my list is usually huge! Saves you carting it off somewhere (or throwing it out because you can't be bothered) and is a great help to anyone who needs things but can't afford to buy them new. You don't trade, just offer.

You can find out more at freecycle.org.

[HejazSunKat]

OMG, I'm going to check that out. I could use something like that. Since we had tenants living in our house for so long it became a dumping ground for all manner of crap people left behind that I want gone (another type of freecycling - dump your crap and move). I've been half heartedly trying to organize it all for a big yard sale (and if it weren't so hot and my house was air-conditioned I'd be doing better). Maybe this is the way to go.

[Cookin4Love]

That makes me angry, too. We got our 6-year-old shepard mix, Thalia, from a rescue organization about 15 months ago. It was pretty much the same thing--her owner moved, didn't want to bother with taking her, and so turned her over to a shelter--where she lived for three months before we found her. She was so sad when she came to us. It took about a year of full-time lovin' on her to see her blossom into the dog she really is. Right now, of course, she has her pretty head in my lap while I'm typing.

If there's a good note, it sounds like these pets will be better off with someone who would commit to taking them from a shelter. It makes me wonder how much this woman would really take care of their medical needs. :mad:

[AZLorena]

I have been managing the office of the little animal rescue that hubby and I volunteer for all summer long. You would be shocked at how many times I hear that story every day. It still amazes me. Moving and can't take my pet.......found an apartment that doesn't take pets......etc. I don't know about you all....but when I was looking for places to live, I would not even look at a place that didn't take animals. My kitties are my children.

Last week we had this guy call our office spouting all kinds of abusive language to our volunteers......saying that if we didn't take his dogs, he was going to shoot them. He was trying to show/selling his house and they were jumping up on people...so he wanted to get rid of them. We didn't want to help him.....but, if he was behaving that poorly with humans.....imagine how he was treating his dogs.

Lorena

[Arete]

I can't even imagine people that would just list their pets on a BB or list-serve! Just as sad are the animals that are simply dumped along a country road.

We live about 15 miles outside of Colorado Springs, and I find stray dogs about 4-5 times per year. Most of the time they have collars or have been listed as missing with the ASPCA. But so far this year, I have found two that have no collar and aren't listed w/the ASPCA or in the paper. After putting "Found" signs all over and putting both dogs in the paper "Found" ads, still no response.

One of the dogs is a gorgeous Siberian Husky, that is obviously well bred, only about a year old. When I found her, you could see every bone in her spine and hips, plus she had just been spayed (probably about 2 weeks before I found her, the incision was still visible.) The best guess is that she got loose several times, was turned into the ASPCA each time, and then returned to the owners. But after the 3rd incident, the ASPCA automatically spays the dog, and it was suggested to me that the owners probably didn't want the dog after that since she was no longer breedable, so they dumped her. Anyway, she's a great dog, and tonight we start our Intermediate Dog Obedience class! (She was a star in basic obedience.)

The other dog is an older dog that has obviously been abused. He is at least 7 years old, and if you put him on a leash and he pulls a little he starts coughing and making all sorts of awful noises, so we think his windpipe must have been damaged at some point. Also, he tends to duck when you put his food bowl down or pet him, so you can tell he's been hit in the past. At first, DH really wanted me to take him to the local rescue group, but he's been with us for 6 weeks now and DH has taken a real shine to him, so he'll be here forever...

[Angelina]

I used to volunteer in a no-kill animal shelter, and the stories I would hear!! It was a pleasure though, when from month to month some of the pets would be gone. It meant they had been adopted!

I remember only one of them who actually died. Her name was China, and she was a HUGE dog, with the sweetest disposition ever. I wouldn't even know what breed or mix she was, but she was beautiful...however, she had been rescued from another shelter where she had been kept for a long time in a cage that was way too small for her. She could barely walk and was always getting surgery on her legs. She had a huge head with mournful eyes, and one day I was there handling a feral kitten (really tiny), to get her used to human touch. As I was sitting there with the kitten on my lap, China comes along and puts her big head on my lap...it was such a Kodak moment! The kitten was pawing at China, and China was just sniffing her and being nosy..:)

Unfortunately China passed away. She was still at the shelter, but she was pretty much the shelter's mascot, and she was very well cared for there. :)

Angela

[ellielk]

Our local freecycle no longer allows posting pets. Apparently, word got back to them about a pet being mistreated after 'adoption.' Or, a pet was not as advertised and wasn't as adaptable to children as had been stated.

[mbrogier]

I thought about seeing if she would give me the dog for "research" purposes. (I would NEVER harm a dog, but I wanted to see if she really cared where they went) She says everyone is up to date on their shots, but if you could not keep your pets, the vet is the best way to go to find new homes. (or a no kill shelter, not the internet)

Someone advertised a Russian Blue cat before, but it wasn't a Russian Blue. (it was a grey himalayan) I wanted the cat, but I was told someone else got it even before I was given 24 hours to email back. The guy is infamous around here for autoresponding to all offers. I figured I had no idea what the cat would really be like.

I don't know if our freecyle will ban pet ads. I doubt it. Ours isn't really that good.

[oceanjasper]

I have never heard of freecycle before, so thank you for telling me about it! There are over 1,000 members in my small community. I am quite amazed. It does say that they are no longer doing pet ads, but then there is a link to Pet Finders. There are roosters, ducks, an algae eater and a couple cats on there. :)