Weekly question: have you ever given up a dog?
I have never given up a pet, and it is something I can’t think of doing. I would rather live in my automobile than give up my canine or cat due to financial trouble or house rules. but still, people “re-home” their animals every day. So numerous of us canine lovers – slightly different than canine owners – believe responsibility to a pet is for the animal’s whole life. We can’t think of giving a canine away or dropping it off at the pound. We think reasons for giving up a pet like “new baby in house,” “moving,” “divorce situation,” “allergies” and “not enough time for pet” are inexcusable.
Then again, in some cases finding a pet a new home is the best thing you can do for that animal or for others in the family. If I had a child who developed bad allergies to my cat, maybe I would find my cat a new home rather than medicate my kid. If I had so numerous life changes that I no longer had time to train and exercise my dog, then finding him a new home might be the best choice.
Of course, there are better ways to go about re-homing an animal than posting “free to good home” ads on Craigslist or leaving it up to chance at a shelter. If I had to find a new owner for my mutt, I would give him to someone I knew, or I would interview his potential new owner to make absolutely sure of a good fit. I’d probably even ask to see that person’s home and pay for a background check. There’s no way I could just hand him over to the first person prepared to cough up $50.
Have you ever had to find a new home for a dog?