Even though I knew it was coming, hearing the phone ring at 4:15 AM this morning really made me jump. Because of the storm, I did have to come into work at 5:30 AM. Of course, we have had no calls. As it turns out, only one office is really affected, and the building is closed so we probably won’t get very many calls at all. The really bummer is that I still have to work until 4:00 PM, mostly because of the client meeting. If that wasn’t happening, I’d be leaving at 1:30 PM.
I did watch a heart-wrenching documentary on HBO last night called Shelter Dogs. It is filmed at a “no kill” shelter in upstate New York. It shows people surrendering their dogs, temperament tests, staff meetings, euthanasia (in the case of a sick dog and a dog who cannot be adopted) and adoptions. I actually had to turn it off twice. Both my dogs were reacting to the sound of the T.V. and I think it was stressing them out a bit.
Both of my dogs are adopted. I have very strong feelings about rescuing animals, surrendering pets, spaying & neutering and euthanasia. Some of the reasons people give for giving up their family pet I can understand (a dog doesn’t get along with other pets). I can’t understand why anyone would make a commitment to an animal, only to give it up on a whim. I totally believe in spaying & neutering – unless you are a licensed breeder. I know some of my co-workers haven’t fixed their pets, one because she wants to breed her Rottie. No offense, but do you know how many Rottweilers there are in city pounds and non-profit rescue groups? The last thing they need to do is add 6 or more puppies to the mix. I know they say they can adopt them all out, but what happens if they can’t? They’ll end up in a shelter, hoping that someone likes them better than the Rottie in the next kennel.
I just wish people thought about the responsibility of owning a pet before they decide to adopt a cute puppy. Don and I discussed it for a few years, and knew what our boundaries were – we had to own a home, we wanted two dogs (preferably male & female) – and even though everything didn’t exactly go as planned (Baja was supposed to be fully trained before we got a second dog – ha ha ha), I believe both Don and I know what we have gotten ourselves into. There have been some challenges, but when Baja and Jager curl up with me, I forget about the new hole in the garden or the nibbled hole in the blanket.
I’m getting off my soapbox now. If you do have a chance, catch the documentary. It’s a powerful show.
I did watch a heart-wrenching documentary on HBO last night called Shelter Dogs. It is filmed at a “no kill” shelter in upstate New York. It shows people surrendering their dogs, temperament tests, staff meetings, euthanasia (in the case of a sick dog and a dog who cannot be adopted) and adoptions. I actually had to turn it off twice. Both my dogs were reacting to the sound of the T.V. and I think it was stressing them out a bit.
Both of my dogs are adopted. I have very strong feelings about rescuing animals, surrendering pets, spaying & neutering and euthanasia. Some of the reasons people give for giving up their family pet I can understand (a dog doesn’t get along with other pets). I can’t understand why anyone would make a commitment to an animal, only to give it up on a whim. I totally believe in spaying & neutering – unless you are a licensed breeder. I know some of my co-workers haven’t fixed their pets, one because she wants to breed her Rottie. No offense, but do you know how many Rottweilers there are in city pounds and non-profit rescue groups? The last thing they need to do is add 6 or more puppies to the mix. I know they say they can adopt them all out, but what happens if they can’t? They’ll end up in a shelter, hoping that someone likes them better than the Rottie in the next kennel.
I just wish people thought about the responsibility of owning a pet before they decide to adopt a cute puppy. Don and I discussed it for a few years, and knew what our boundaries were – we had to own a home, we wanted two dogs (preferably male & female) – and even though everything didn’t exactly go as planned (Baja was supposed to be fully trained before we got a second dog – ha ha ha), I believe both Don and I know what we have gotten ourselves into. There have been some challenges, but when Baja and Jager curl up with me, I forget about the new hole in the garden or the nibbled hole in the blanket.
I’m getting off my soapbox now. If you do have a chance, catch the documentary. It’s a powerful show.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home