Browse through Petfinder.com, or even your local shelter’s website, and you’ll find a lot of pets who are homeless for a lot of reasons.
Allergies
It’s a sad story to see a family pet who has to be surrendered to a shelter because someone in the family has developed allergies. If you’re thinking about adding a pet to the family, please make sure no one is allergic first! Borrow a friend’s dog, or visit someone with a lot of cats… you’ll find out very quickly whether or not someone already has allergies.
Military Deployment
Lately I’ve seen a lot of pets without homes because their person has been sent overseas. In my perfect world, the government would have some sort of pet sitting service, so when the troops come home, they can be reunited with their fur families.
Strays
My Lally was picked up as a stray in Rutland County, Vermont. Who knows where she came from, or why? Maybe a fence wasn’t as secure as the family thought… Maybe she got loose while on a walk… Maybe somebody who didn’t want her just let her go to fend for herself. If you’re not ready to have a pet – whether your yard can’t handle a 90lb rottie or you didn’t realize pet food was going to be so expensive – don’t get a pet!
Owner Surrender
If you ask me, moving isn’t really a good reason to get rid of a cat or dog. Do you get rid of your kids when you move, because they’re inconvenient? Would you even consider living in an apartment that didn’t allow children? It’s a challenge to find pet-friendly housing, but it is out there.
My Moose was surrendered to a shelter in upstate NY because he was “too stubborn”. To me, that says his people didn’t want to be bothered with training him. My fur-sister Becca was surrendered because she supposedly ate garbage. In the nine years my family has had her, she has never once even tried to get into the garbage. Weird.
Overpopulation
Maybe your cat had a litter of kittens you didn’t want. Maybe you’ve seen strays running around a local park and suddenly puppies appear. The shelters are crowded and getting more crowded every day. If you want to be a responsible pet owner (and you’re planning to become a breeder) please spay and neuter your pets.
Please, don’t add a pet to your family on a whim… think about the time and money you’re going to have to invest. Think about how your routine will have to change – daily walks, playtime, an extra mouth to feed. Do some research and try and find a pet that is suited to your family’s particular needs. Purina’s website has a pet profiler that will suggest the best breeds for your particular likes and dislikes. Try it out!