Msn money is promoting animal dumping.

[Maralynn]

The very ironic thing about this article is that if you're in a position to find it and read it (through extra time, a home computer and internet) or watch something simular on TV (MSNBC is only on cable), then you're most likely in a postion to give up some extras to keep your pet. Just giving up two fast food meals a week would cover your dog expenses.

 

I spend about $900/year on two dogs and that includes a yearly ultrasound and heart meds for Missy. At about $2.50 a day, I'd say it's one of the best health and entertainment investments I could make.

[Frogs & Dogs]

Loved your reply, mbc. They really need to publish this as a response.

 

I think part of the problem with Donna's point of view is that she's only thinking of one kind of bankruptcy - the financial kind - whereas most of us recognize that there are other types of bankruptcy that we would also like to avoid, like emotional bankruptcy, for example. I might be better off financially without my dog, but I'm better off emotionally with her. And personally, I'd rather be happy than rich.

 

Can you imagine the guilt you'd feel if you gave up your pet, as Donna suggests? I would think it could become an all-consuming kind of guilt, to the point that you couldn't spend a cent on anything but bare necessities. Surely that isn't healthy, and it could even cut into productivity, which would not be good for financial stability.

[mbc1963]

Grrrr...

 

The worst story I ever heard came from one of my 8th-grade students, whose mother thought that they should give up their golden retriever because they had installed hardwood floors, and didn't want them to get scratched.

 

I posted the rebuttal (in modified, more universal form) to my local Craigslist at this link:

 

http://boston.craigslist.org:80/nwb/pet/1345936815.html

 

Thanks for the idea, Sluj. Maybe if it gets tagged for "Best of Craigslist" it will end up forwarded around, and make its way back to some of the dog-dumpers.

 

Mary

[DebC]

Mary's reply to DF was posted on the MSN site yesterday, although I haven't looked today to see if it is still up..........

[Tranquilis]

1. She mentions that animals ruin stuff. Uh, every animal??? Certainly not mine, and most animals won't if you train them properly and give them outlets for their physical and mental energy. In the 7+ months I've had my dog, she has chewed up a pen, an earplug, and a hair tie. I can feel myself going broke already!!!

Suka, and the new 100+ pound Shiloh that just arrived, have, between them, destroyed... Nothing. I wonder if I can divide by zero to get my true costs here?

 

2. She mentions that emergency vet bills are expensive. True indeed, but her example is totally avoidable! Don't want your cat ripped in half by a raccoon? Don't let him outside!

It's called "Train your pet, clean your house, be responsible, and be sensible." Perhaps the author of this article has heard of none of these?

 

3. She argues that despite what pet owners think, their dogs won't die without them. Uh, really? Ever seen an unwanted animal PTS at a shelter? That's EXACTLY what will happen if lots of people take her advice and surrender their animals.

Oh, some few might find homes. But not if people are following this woman's advice - Because everyone else will have already flooded the system even worse than it already is! And clearly, by this woman's advice, those few that find homes will be going into financially-irresponsible homes.

 

She says she's owned animals, but from the sound of it, her bond with them was minimal at best. I feel sorry for any animal under her care.

Owned? Maybe. Cared for? I'm dubious.

[jamesqf]

Can you imagine the guilt you'd feel if you gave up your pet, as Donna suggests?

 

First of all, people like her (I think I've dated several of her twin sisters) just don't think that way. Friends, whether animal or human, are basically lifestyle accessories, to be used when there's some advantage to be had, and discarded when they become inconvenient.

 

Second, "pets" are things like tropical fish. My dogs are not my pets, they are my friends.

[ShoresDog]

I suppose she's hardhearted enough that the fact that getting rid of the dog in most cases means killing the dog doesn't bother her. But if there are children in the family, the lesson that they are shown is just horrible. Your responsibility to another living thing can be shunted aside so casually?

 

Of course people should carefully consider whether they can truly afford a pet's care before they get a pet. But dumping a family pet later, that crosses the line.