TheRedQueen wrote:He hadn't brought the dog in...he drove off with it. Who knows what will happen next. The trainer part of me wanted to speak up, but I didn't...
There was also a guy that brought in his peeing cat...they told him that it would be PTS immediately, since they can't adopt out a cat with peeing issues. He was teary, but he left the cat. I mean, at least take the cat to the vet for that...not the shelter. *sigh*
Yep, Erin was with me when I picked out Digit...the new female JRT. We both kept shooting each other looks as the people with surrenders came in.
Digit was turned into the shelter originally for being "too much puppy," according to her intake paperwork. She was adopted, but was found and brought into the shelter because of her microchip. They called the man who adopted her to say, "Hey, are you missing someone?" He hadn't even bothered to call to look for her. He said that they could keep her and that he didn't want her back because she chewed everything and liked to run away.
Ummm...it is a JRT puppy!
I do have an on-topic point...I promise. The biggest issue is not how the shelters are run, but a lack of education on the part of the public about how much work a dog (or cat) really can be. I think most people understand that a dog
may be pts if they take it to a shelter, but are in denial that their dog will face that fate because he is so cute/good/etc. It is for this reason that I don't mind the sensationalism of the article. Some people NEED a bit of a wake-up call. Granted, it should be more clear that this is the experience at that shelter, but I think if she made a big deal about that, people would think that their local shelter would be different. The point is for people to think about the consequences of their decision to give up their pet. There are a *few* good reasons to do it, and of course, strays happen...but in the majority of cases, the owner surrender could have been avoided with some solid education before the original adoption/purchase ever happened.