Dogs of C-Kennel by Mick & Mason Mastroianni for April 28, 2024

Sadly, far too many who adopt “give backies” when the dog doesn’t meet their (sometimes unrealistic) expectations. :-(

Better the dogs are taken to a shelter than abandoned on the side of a road somewhere. Or worse, they are kept by someone who neglects or abuses them. I’ve worked in an animal rescue and seen the condition of some who were brought in.

I have a dear friend that rescues dogs. She finds permanent homes for rescues. She will make sure the new owners are a perfect fit before she releases them into their care. She is very passionate in her work and there has been no returns.

You tell them, Will!

I live in the country and people are always doing drop offs, the bad part, we rarely take them in and a lot of people around here just shoot them if they don’t have a collar, I don’t , I just chase them away, I have enough dogs as it is. People in general are heartless. P.S. we don’t have a animal shelter to take them to in our county, needless to say nor a dog catcher. I did take one over to the next county dog shelter and when I told them where I lived they said only people from their county can bring them here, a guy came out after me as I was leaving and said he would take the dog, it was a Beagle so I figured he knew someone who would want it. So at least that worked out.

If you’re going to adopt an animal, adopt it for life. Pets are a commitment, not a hobby.

Well just don’t get adopted by any women governors in South Dakota, what ever you do.

I suspect there’d be fewer “give backs” if three things were practiced. 1. Give out some honest information (not ads for a dog trainer) on how to train a dog with that dog license. 2. Rein in the hyper inflated costs of vet care and dog food. 3. Don’t assume ‘bad owner’ when it might be severely bad luck breaking a family apart and find ways to help. Some decades ago I was making a food donation to an animal shelter when I saw a young woman sitting on the ground by her car bawling her eyes out while holding a small cat. She had lost her job and her apartment and had to chose between feeding and housing her child and keeping the cat. Yeah, I took the cat, kept it for 6 months and gave it back joyfully when she and her family were resettled, the woman and I still correspond… But I’ve never forgotten. Don’t judge until you know the whole story.

For some reason I saw that as real badassie.

Many private shelters, like our Animal League, have you sign a commitment to return the pet to them if you must relinquish it. They check out the adopters and offer care for life for older or sickly animals. When I adopted “Alley” they told me that when she was brought back the father of the family cried as he signed the papers. His job transferred him to a state that had a strict prohibition against pit bulls and although she was a small and sweet mix they had to give her up.

I hear you Will! From what I can tell, the cat I have now was a kitten in a house with a dog. when the people didn’t get her fixed in time and she got pregnant, they dumped her. By the time we got her and remaining kitten into the house, she adjusted to a house and a dog to quickly to have ever been feral.

…and no swapping!!!!