I recently went down to my local animal shelter to find a cat to add to my family. Although all the felines there were crazy and fun, eventually I found the perfect one (a shout out to the cat-tastic Dr. Jones!).
Anyways, as I was speaking to one of the employees at the shelter I began to discover new lows in the human race. I'm not just talking about the outright animal abusers, who are so obviously the vilest humans on the planet. No I'm talking about people that view animals like returnable and disposable products.
I was introduced to a 10 year old cat that was left at the shelter after her family decided to get a new puppy and a kitten. What sort of lesson is this for your kids? As soon as it becomes inconvenient, buy a younger one and then leave your responsibility for someone else to take care of?
People with that view and tendencies don't deserve pets. Seriously, that is disgusting.
An animal isn't a sweater or a couch, although society has shown that the majority of people don't bother to be responsible for that type of waste either.
An adopted animal is now a part of your family which means if you move, you find a home for your ENTIRE family. If your pet becomes sick, then you make whatever decision is necessary to take care of it (even if the humane thing is to put it down).
I'm not talking about people who find another loving home for their pet because the current situation isn't working for anyone involved. There are unavoidable situations where a pet isn't happy or the owner can't care for it, but finding another home means fulfilling your responsibilities.
I think part of the problem is that some people expect pets to be a constant source of fun but in reality they are thinking, feeling, creatures that experience boredom, depression, and love like us.
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