Why do People Abandon Their Pets When They Move?
October 1st 2008 21:00
Photo supplied by Liftarn. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
I just don’t get this. I was watching RSPCA Animal Rescue one night and for the umpteenth time, they did a story about a dog who was abandoned by its owners after they moved house. Aren’t pets part of the family? You wouldn’t leave your children behind when you move so why should it be any different for your pet dog?
On the show, if the RSPCA officers manage to contact the owners, often they will say animals aren’t allowed in their new premises. If that was the case, why didn’t the owners try to find pet friendly accommodation in the first place, try to find a new home for their pets or, at worst, hand their pets over to a pet shelter instead of just abandoning them? Sometimes the animals are shown without food or water. People can be so careless. Does it not cross their minds these are living beings who cannot survive without food or water? I put this down to sheer carelessness and laziness.
Some people I know say they cannot watch RSPCA. They find it too distressing. I see what they mean. I often find it heartbreaking and tear-inducing.
If I had a pet I would find it hard to abandon it. The only exception was our pet Muscovy duck, Paul. Paul was very aggressive and would constantly nip at our heels. It was hard to bond with him. After putting up with this for months, my parents decided enough’s enough and gave him and the rest of our Muscovy clan to a wildlife shelter. The shelter placed the ducks at the local wildlife reserve. When we went to visit our old ducks, we discovered one of the ducklings lost an eye after being attacked by another duck. Paul and his partner, Midnight Girl both disappeared. When we asked the ranger, he said he hadn’t seen either duck for several days and believed they had been hunted down by foxes. I still feel guilty about what happened, even though it was my parents’ decision. Even though my parents thought they were doing the right thing, these were domesticated ducks who clearly couldn’t survive in the wild.
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Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
As for people who move and leave their pets behind, I dont get it. We just rescued Darla from the adoption program. She's a sweet little chiuaha cross who was on death row at the pound and was abandoned. How someone could just let her go I dont know. She's so loving and obediant.
Comment by Queenie
Quirky Folk
Quirky Queenie
In hindsight it would have been kinder to have Paul put down. His aggression would have made it hard for him to be placed in a new home, especially one with young children around.
Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
But bottom line, an agressive duck is really very easy to deal with. And youve opened a can of worms there - which is better, having him put down, or to die a natural death? A natural death for a horse is at the claws of a predator when they can no longer keep up, its filled with terror, but its quick, natural, and what the instincts expect. After seeing horses suffer with unnatural deaths, Im not sure which is preferable.