Economy Threatening Pets

[defunctzombie]

I found this interesting article about how pet owners are having to give them up due to high cost:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081221/ap_on_bi_ge/meltdown_pets;_ylt=ApMuCQNuyoN7BLz_e7X2M4kEtbAF

My cat is like my baby, and I could never imagine doing this. But I recognize that my view is not the only one out there. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[sdp]

That really pissed me off, if you get a pet you are responsible for it. Its not an object you can just give away when times are hard. Why didn't they just sell something else like a tv or cut down more on costs and not the living creature. What do they think its going to happen to their pet in the animal shelter?

[Michael24]

That really pissed me off, if you get a pet you are responsible for it. Its not an object you can just give away when times are hard.

I agree. I cannot stand when people treat their pets like objects that can just be discarded when they don't feel like taking care of them after a certain time. A neighbor of our's bought a dog a couple years ago, and it pretty much just runs around the backyard unsupervised all the time. When they are in the backyard, they're just "shooing" it out of their way as they move about. Like it's basically just for show or something.

Our dogs are like members of the family, and we could never and would never get rid of them.

[Comics_the_QB]

Giving my cat away, would be like giving my brother away...

What's worse for me is, that we just had a family of cats move back into under our chimney. It is the same mom from about 5 months ago and honestly, with the weather I don't think some of the kittens will make it.

We've tried to make fires to keep them warm under there, but I don't know what to do. The last time we caught the kittens we couldn't find homes for them, until my friend helped out.

Terrible, huh? :sad:

[Temple Fugate]

Inversely, a friend's family just adopted a stray cat after finding her wandering the neighborhood. She stopped two nights in a row on their doorstep and so they took her in. She recovered quickly and she is just the most adorable little thing. Very well behaved for a stray, too.

[Wounded_Dragon]

I gotta ask, how many of you are actually reading the article and not just the headline? This isn't about people not liking the texture of the pet's fur and dumping them in shelters.

In New York, Erin Farrell-Talbot recently made the decision to euthanize her 15-year-old cat, Buki, when she was told within days of losing her job that he would need thousands of dollars in treatment and medications costing $65 a month to live.

I have a dog that requires a prescription earwash that needs to be used twice a day, prescription tear-drops for his eyes three times a day, a prescription allergy pill every other day, and a prescription allergy shampoo to be used once a week. Caught a break and the vet's determined he has no food allergies, so the prescription diet food has been replaced with generic food. And he pretty much needs his paws soaked every day so they won't itch.

Now I love my dog, but I'd be lying if I said it never crossed my mind to give him up.

[Michael24]

I'm sure we've easily spent at least a few thousand bucks on our dog in the last several years. She's had a couple trips to the vet to remove some little benign lumps from her. But we've never once thought about just saying "the hell with it" and getting rid of her. We know it's expensive, but we pay what it costs because we love her. We could never just get rid of her.

[purplehairedwonder]

As others have said, our dog is a member of our family and we'd never be able to give him up. Considering how the article talked about how many people are doing this, I can't help but think many of them could probably sacrifice something else instead of leaving their pet. I don't doubt there are some people who honestly have no other choice than to give up their pets but for all the other people, it really disgusts me. These animals are living creatures that need love. If they end up in a shelter, they have a good chance of being euthanized--especially since fewer people are adopting in this economy--and that is absolutely tragic.

[EinBebop]

In worse days, my cat has eaten better than I have.

[Old Guy]

It looks like I'm gonna have to be the realistic one here. A pet being "one of the family" is no different than a good friend being treated like a sibling. It's all good while it lasts. A pet is never going to be considered as important as a real family member. So, you have two options: you either provide a roof, food, and cloths for your children or worry about the pet.

Now, I understand that pets are living creatures as well and shouldn't be treated like garbage. So, I would rather go to the rich neighborhoods and sell the pet in the middle of the street than giving it to a shelter and wondering what may happen.

However, that being said...as was stated above...these are all extreme situations. Like the woman paying $65 bucks a month on medication. Otherwise, pets aren't that expensive. You spent $10 bucks on a bag of food and that's it. Unless you're one of those people who buy cloths for the pet and stuff like that.

[Juu-kuchi]

Man, being part of a family that has two dogs all I can say right now is that this is sad. Not a pathetic sad, but a depressing sad.

I can't even think of what I could even say about this.

[Yusuke Urameshi]

I've had my dog since I was 5.

I'd rather sell my TV to make money than rather giving away my dog.

[DBZNarutoWarrior]

I wouldn't give up any of my pets, they are family. Besides, they aren't THAT expensive to take care of anyway.

[DeadJohNNyAngel]

That makes me sick that people would get rid of their pets like they are so disposable. :crying:

I love all of my animals and I would rather give up all of my electronics, furniture or whatever it took. I would never give my pet to anyone let alone the possibility it may die miserable, hungry and homeless or be executed at a shelter.

Owners have a responsibility to their pets and anyone that loves theirs could NEVER do such a cold heartless thing. Surely no one with a heart would get rid of their children because money got tight, and I hold the same love, value and bond in my pets.

[Marvin Tikvah]

I have two dogs and a hamster, and my parents often threaten to sell them if they sense even a small amount of neglect on our side, though this usually just a way to make sure they are fed.

I'd hate to ever be forced to sell them off, my rottweiler has lived with us for almost 8 years. She's practically my dog, even if I'm living away from home for college. Luckily, this will probably never be the case, as our business seems to always have a steady source of income.

[The Wolverine]

This story reminds me of the idiots who traveled to Nebraska to abandon their children like they were nothing.

Absolutely pathetic.

[Wounded_Dragon]

Your pets may not be expensive, but the ones being given up may be. For Pete's sake people, the case I listed stated she had to pay thousands of dollars in surgery bills in addition to the care fees. This is not a case of not getting nails done and taking care of the pet, these are cases of "okay, I can't pay my house or car if I pay for all of this."

[defunctzombie]

I'm sure that if my cat needed thousands of dollars of medical care, I'd at least try to scrape it up. Although, if it came down to it I don't know if I'd be able to euthanize her. Maybe we should get pet insurance...

[Wolfie~Giri]

My family owns a variety of pets (A dog, a chinchilla, two lovebirds, and a canary.) and I couldn't even think of giving any of them away over some valuable inanimate objects sitting in our home.

[Elven Moon]

I have a cat and a dog at the moment. When the dog was just a little puppy she had a heart murmur, so we had to scrape together some money to get her the surgery she needed. I don't know what I'd do without my pets, and can't imagine getting rid of them unless it was an extremely extreme condition. And even then, since my extended family isn't far away I'd try to get them to "watch" them for me until things were better.

[CheshireKitten]

When I was a kid my parents had a dog who had leg problems when he was only a couple of years old. They spent thousands of dollars they could barely afford to pay for treatment. We were originally told he would only live a couple of years, but he lived until he was twelve years old.

My dogs are my babies. I wouldn't just get rid of a baby when times got rough. Pets aren't much different. You're responsible for that life. I would never be able to live with myself just to throw that life away.