In my last article I mentioned that I can’t watch several shows on Animal Planet because they upset me. Next to Animal Cops, the other shows that I find disturbing are those where dog trainers go to people’s homes to help with their dogs’ behavioral problems.
For my second “Be Kind to Animals Week” article, I want to focus on irresponsible pet owners. Irresponsible pet owners are one of my biggest peeves, and the reason why I don’t like dog training shows.
Watching those shows it seems like most of the time, the dogs have problems because their owners don’t know what they are doing. I’ve seen people complaining of an overactive and aggressive boxer, only for the trainer to discover they only take the dog out three times a week.
Or a couple has a dangerously aggressive Jack Russell Terrier, and they decide to adopt a black lab. The two obviously don’t get along, so the terrier spends its days locked up in the bedroom, while the black lab has to stay outside in a tiny bricked back yard during a hot summer.
All of these pet owners genuinely don’t seem to understand what is wrong with their dogs or what to do about it, which is why they need professional help. I can’t believe it doesn’t occur to some people that dogs need exercise, or that problems with an aggressive dog should be addressed before adopting any more pets.
My husband and I did not know much about raising and training dogs when we adopted our puppy. So we borrowed training books from the library, did research, and sought advice from dog-owning friends. We learned about and prepared for common problems with our dog before adopting her.
For Be Kind to Animals Week I plead with other animal lovers, or just those who want pets: please, be kind to your animals. Being kind to them involves being a responsible owner of them.
When thinking of adopting, consider all the things the future pet will need. Read books, do web research, and quiz others who have that pet for ideas of what’s required for that animal’s well-being. If you truly love animals you should do what’s best for them, even if that means you shouldn’t have them given your current situation.
When I was a senior in college I shared an on-campus apartment with four friends. They decided they wanted a cat. I’d been desperate for a cat for years, since the one I had growing up died. But our situation wasn’t good for a cat; we weren’t allowed to have any pets other than fish on campus.
We would have had to lock the cat up in a back bedroom at all times, and over breaks we’d have to take it home so the campus authorities wouldn’t find it. Only one girl could take the cat home, and it would have needed to stay outside the entire time. It wouldn’t have been fair or healthy for the cat to spend most of its days locked up in a small room, spend a week or so outside or in a barn, then return to its confinement.
I talked my roommates out of getting a cat. I was disappointed, but I’d prefer not owning a pet to being an irresponsible pet owner. I urge others to think similarly when considering getting a pet, and not to get one if unable to take care of it responsibly.
Related Articles:
Positive Reinforcement and the Power of Distraction
The Dog Whisperer: The Latest Craze in Doggie Discipline
Irresponsible Owner Breaks Writer’s Heart (Again)