Human Betrayal
I don’t qualify as a spokesperson for all pets. (I had two brief experiences with cats, but a lifetime of experience with dogs.) Therefore I can speak for dogs, only.
I grew up in the mountains with plenty of snow, tourists and… avalanches. When an avalanche buries people, teams of rescuers try to locate and rescue the victim or victims, as it may be the case. The rescue operations are not always possible due to bad weather and not always successful. When human beings don’t succeed, they send in dogs. Under the dramatic conditions of the aftermath of an avalanche, dogs are often better at locating and reaching avalanche victims. A dog can deliver nourishment and warmth even in situations when people cannot. (I suspect that the same applies to the aftermath of other natural disasters.)
Where I’m coming from, people revere dogs because in life and death situations they can be superior to humans. But that’s true not only in my neck of the woods. Dogs help on the police force, canine units. Dogs serve side by side with armed forces, locating landmines, etc. There are service dogs. Dogs search for survivors following natural disasters. The list of dogs’ services to humans is long.
To know that 3.9 million dogs – PETS! – are brought to U.S. animal shelters every year is difficult for me to comprehend. To know that 1.2 million dogs are euthanized annually in the U.S. alone is beyond heart-breaking. Needless to say, I don’t understand how anyone could abuse or abandon a dog. Dogs have unlimited faith in people and won’t hesitate to risk or even give their lives to save ours. Abusing, abandoning and even killing dogs is entirely beyond my capacity to understand. (When it comes to other pets / animals, I don’t get it either: a betrayal is a betrayal no matter who’s the victim.) There is an urgent need to amend human betrayal of PETS!
My personal feelings aside, the number of PETS brought to animal shelters and euthanized every year is staggering. Thankfully, there are many organizations out there that are actively working to change the current situation and prevent it from continuing.
Many of the animal welfare and / or animal advocacy organizations assist pet owners in obtaining low cost spay / neuter services, sometimes even free of charge to those who qualify. Many of the charities foster animals available for adoption. Some created no-kill animal shelters. All of them depend on our support for their success. Helping PETS (animals, in this case doesn’t really apply) is costly. There are costs of veterinary expenses, shelter, food and a lot more. If funds are lacking there is less availability and more pets are getting killed.
If and when we realize that this isn’t about “animals” at large but PETS that trusted human beings and were betrayed by them, the issue of abandoned pets and killing them to reduce cost to taxpayers may finally come to an end.
In the meantime, the fate of abandoned, abused and forgotten pets is in OUR hands. There is plenty that an individual can do. One could donate funds, volunteer, or spread the word on social networks about rescued pets available for adoption. Of course, the ultimate salvation is adoption.
Many people are hesitant and even intimidated by the prospect of adopting a grown up, “preowned” pet.
Everybody loves a puppy or a kitten which is why baby pets get adopted, first. But the pets that NEED to be adopted – whose lives literally depend on being adopted! – are adult.
As I said earlier, I’m a dog person, I love dogs and had dogs all my life. All my dogs came to me as puppies, but one.
The one that was “preowned” had a painful past and yes, he was a pet with special needs (a kidney condition) which made for an initially difficult relationship. (We were two adults with life’s baggage who had to develop a relationship based on mutual respect and understanding.)
It took some time for the relationship to become cordial and gradually, friendly. But once it did… the rewards of our friendship were more precious than any I have known before. We shared the same values; the dog was much better judge of characters than I was; he not only understood commands but knew what I’m thinking…. His medical problems were costly and very stressful. Still, ours was a once in a lifetime relationship. We’ve been together for 19 wonderful years.
I don’t have a dog, right now. The “preowned” pet dog I adopted left a scar on my heart that didn’t heal, yet. I still miss him and I’m not ready for another dog.
I share my story to let you know that adopting a grown up pet with a history could be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. After all, unless you’re a kid, you have “baggage”, too. Guess what, it takes someone who has history of their own to accept and understand yours.
“Preowned” pets require sensitivity, understanding, compassion, a loving and loyal friend / household, even more than baby animals.
Preowned pets were betrayed before, this time they need someone who won’t let them down. They won’t let you down, ever. Click To Tweet
