What Happens To Pets Folks Can’t Keep?

What happens when you can no longer keep a pet that you’ve had in your care for some time?

So many responsible pet owners post classified ads, posters and inquire within their social circle, to see if someone would be interested in obtaining a pet – theirs.

Some pet owners meet up with disappointment when after 3-4 weeks, there’s been no responses to a potential new home for their beloved pet.

When situations like this arise, worry sets in and the options narrow as the clock ticks.

What to do?

When considering the S.P.C.A. – in all their goodness and efforts, it is common knowledge that your pet’s days are numbered, sometimes pin pointed to a certain amount of hours!

OMG – that’s an anxiety filled consideration, especially to those of you who actually do love your pet and are already torn that you can no longer keep it!

O.K. – what are other options?

Humane Society: Appointments are usually required (in Canada anyway) and if fortunate enough, they’ll accept to see you and take in your pet.

Now some of the new shelters that the Humane Society sponsors, are permitted to give an animal 3 years for which to find a new home. If no home is found, then euthanization is in order.

Not such a bad option you think. Call a rep that works within such a shelter and ask them their professional opinion as to what the odds are – that your pet finds a home within the 3 years.

If your pet is a specific breed, then there’s better chances at being adopted into a new home.

If your pet is a mix – whether cat or dog – the odds are against.

Then last but least, No-Kill Shelters are an option to look into:

In dire cases, most no kill shelters take in animals that are injured, or have become stray.

On rare occasion, when there is room, no kill shelters take in pets that pet owners can no longer keep – having proven beyond a doubt that everything absolutely possible, has been done to find a new home for the pet that they love.

All these options, means that your pet will be caged or caged off and on, for the remainder of it’s life – unless by some good fortune, it is adopted.

When thoughts like this hit compassionate pet owners who begin to feel guilt in dispair of not finding a new home for a pet, thoughts grasp at the concept of “setting the pet free”. Whether that thought lends to a back alley somewhere or out in the country somewhere, the options start to sound good – when all else fails… but think again.

Friendly Pets left abandoned in back alleys, will sometimes attach themselves to the first person they see. If they are lucky, that person will have compassion and take it home to call friends or eventually, the local Bylaw Enforcement.

If a friend knows a friend, who knows a friend who wants this pet, then, the animal has a home for awhile or maybe a lifetime – maybe.

If local Bylaw Enforcement comes, the pet has 72 hours to be claimed or be euthanized.

That’s the best case scenerio!

If the abandoned pet is not lucky, the animal will meet up with human aggression, starvation, lack of sleep, attacks by other stray animals or owned pets that it may happen across. The pet could even be hit by a vehicule.

Pets that are abandoned in the country have it even worse!

While some believe that an animal is an animal and it will survive – the elements are not taken into consideration.

Whether a cat or a dog, animals abandoned in the country side, not only find themselves totally disoriented and confused, they have other new adventures to deal with, such as wildlife. Wildlife, such as coyotes, badgers, wolves, mountain cats and foxes are a threat to both cats and dogs – especially if they haven’t a clue where they are, or what to do.

- Abandoned animals have been known to run and run until they finally exhaust themselves to death. When they finally come to rest, they have given up on finding their way home.

- Abandoned animals often die within the first week having fallen prey to wildlife.

- Abandoned animal can die of fear, they can die of thirst or starvation and exhaustion.

- Farmers don’t exactly appreciate new animals coming around. If a pet is lucky enough to come across a farmer who has compassion, the animal may get taken in – in the best case scenerio, or it will be taken in – to be taken to the local vet or bylaw and again, their fate is limited.

- Farmers: when it comes to large dogs, especially those they’ve never seen before, they may think that the dog is part of a wild pack somewhere nearby and may even shoot the dog – not knowing, especially if the dog hasn’t come close and submitted itself. Wild packs are still out there in the country side, they stay as far away from humans as possible! On occasion though, one may venture too close in search of food and they are terminated.

In either case scenerio, a pet, only knows to depend on their human for everything. When left alone to survive, stats show that dogs may live a couple of weeks before meeting a fate that takes their life, whether it be by nature or through animal enforcement officials and cats stand a bit of a better chance – giving them up to two years of survival. (cats will either starve, obtain a virus or be eaten by a preditor or beaten for territory)

Those who point fingers at A.S.P.C.A’s or S.P.C.A.’s – have to consider – that these organizations do not obtain holding shelters that are as large as foot ball fields with 1,000 volunteers on staff, along with Vets and medical supplies to tend to ALL the Pets that pet owners can “no longer keep” (for whatever reason!!)

Doing a search on your favorite search engine with “animal shelters” as your key words, will display a couple of hundred thousand entries, all with animals who need homes.

Your local Newspaper (all over the continent, no matter where you are) has ads by responsible pet owners, attempting to find new homes for their pets.

Internet Classified Ads and specific websites are full of ads – seeking homes – for loving, attentive critters – give it a search to see how much “competition” is out there, when it comes to pets who need a home! The reality of it, is really overwhelming. There’s millions!

For those considering getting a pet, read: Things to Consider Before Getting a Pet, to do a mental check on the responsibilities and if those responsibilities can be taken on for life.

Part two of this series, offers a variety of options that have been known to work, when one needs to relocate their pet.

Part two offers things to look out for – because often enough, “Pet for Free to a Loving Home” can end your pet in a laboratory – in the name of science and more.

Till next time.

Animals Alone Society of Kindness Services