Abandoned Pets: A Growing Concern
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You’re moving, your new boyfriend/girlfriend doesn’t like them, you don’t have time, the pet costs too much money…the list is as broad and lengthy as they come. For whatever reason, many people decide everyday that they can no longer keep the pet they currently have.
This act in itself is up to much debate within the animal rescue community, but that is not the point of this article. Whichever side of the debate you fall, there is a much bigger issue at hand. What should happen next when a person decides to get rid of a pet?
It seems that the trend for dumping animals, though one with a long history, has increased somewhat in the past years. Of the millions of animals put down each year, a large chunk of those are abandoned, and to some degree those are the “lucky” ones. Other abandoned pets die of heat exhaustion, starvation, dehydration, or injuries sustained from being hit by a car or abuse before they were dumped. Others fall into the wrong hands and suffer in ways unimaginable to most animal lovers.
There are many opportunities available to give a pet up in a safe and appropriate manner (To read more about these options, check out “Are you thinking of giving away your pet?”). It maybe harder to have to look someone in the eye and give that pet up, or pay a turn in fee…but these procedures at least give the animal the appropriate chance.
So what happens when someone does dump their pet, leave them in a ditch, the desert or a local park? Our own Pets911 Director Tracyann Mains can tell you! Her recent experience with an abandoned pit bull paints a realistic and sad portrait of animal abandonment, and why, it has become illegal in more and more states…Read her story here.