This makes me feel so angry

[Misty Avich]

Why do people abandon pets? Why? If they don't want a pet any more then why don't they just give them to a rescue centre or to a friend or relative who they know would give them a good home?
Now THIS is what I do call lack of empathy. How do these people sleep at night knowing they have deliberately abandoned a domestic animal that has feelings? Their own pet is miles away, all alone? Animals FEEL things too. It makes me feel so sad that some people can do this. What goes through their minds?
One time someone told me they saw a puppy abandoned on the side of a road with his blanket. He was cold and shivering. It made me burst into tears, even though she said she phoned the RSPCA to come and rescue the poor little dog.

I'm more of a cat person than a dog person but even so, I still hate to see dogs hurt or abandoned. Why do people do it???

 

[AGXStarseed]

Why do people abandon pets? Why? If they don't want a pet any more then why don't they just give them to a rescue centre or to a friend or relative who they know would give them a good home?
Now THIS is what I do call lack of empathy. How do these people sleep at night knowing they have deliberately abandoned a domestic animal that has feelings? Their own pet is miles away, all alone? Animals FEEL things too. It makes me feel so sad that some people can do this. What goes through their minds?
One time someone told me they saw a puppy abandoned on the side of a road with his blanket. He was cold and shivering. It made me burst into tears, even though she said she phoned the RSPCA to come and rescue the poor little dog.

I'm more of a cat person than a dog person but even so, I still hate to see dogs hurt or abandoned. Why do people do it???

I'm guessing there are many reasons, but it doesn't make it right - nor does it make it easier when you see/hear about it happening.

 

[The Pandector]

Years ago lived at the edge of civilization, so to speak. People came and dropped their unwanted animals around the front corner of our property. No way we could address the quantity of animals abandoned there. It was an eye opener for me.

Ultimately, we had the unpleasant experience of having to ignore a great many unfortunate creatures.

One day about some yard work, I had to ignore a little black thing out beside the drive. It didn’t approach me or move on, just sat at maybe 30 yards and watched me work. After a while, I stood and stared, it didn’t move. I patted my leg and it came slowly but trustingly to me.

A few years later we moved to the wilderness. That dog, lab/Rottweiler, literally chased bears and wrestled cougars for us the rest of its magnificent existence. It was a family dog, but wouldn’t let my wife go into the woods alone, her beloved ‘protector dog’. Somebody threw away the best dog I ever knew.

 

[Wolfnox]

I’ve seen this practice for many years. It’s “very” common but, not spoken about openly.
My family has taken in quite a few of them over years and recently.

 

[VictorR]

Lots of times people do things that may not seem rational. Reasons vary but may include (and some of these may be combined)

1. Feeling rushed / in a highly charged emotional state - sometimes people make spur of the moment decisions which they end up regretting down the road. (Doing the first thing that comes to mind that removes them from a stressful situation e.g. abandoning a pet they're unable to care for at the first opportunity)

2. Insufficient support - someone might not know what to do or gave support to do so, so they do what they could. (e.g. I'm not able to get to the shelter, so I'll leave them and hope someone takes them to the shelter or adopts them)

3. Anxiety (e.g. I feel embarrassed / overwhelmed to take my pet to the shelter and talk to the people there)

4. Finances (e.g. my local shelter has a surrender fee and I can't afford it)

I don't doubt that some people who abandon pets simply don't care and don't see them as peers, but I think that there are many who do so out of feeling they have no other choice, and feel bad about doing so.

 

[Judge]

I'd think what would motivate most people would be a relatively common trait. - Simple guilt.

Guilt in not wanting to face others over abandoning their pets or to a euthanasia process. Considerations that for some are simply too difficult to deal with, and they do so because in their minds they can. Whether their own conscious suffers over such a choice is anyone's guess.

That in their mind it just seems easier to abandon a pet to the elements, other predators or animal control which may operate quite differently compared to an animal rescue operation. Tragic...

The Blue Heeler that my cousin adopted was exactly one of those poor animals which were abandoned into the wild, and caught by animal control. However the dog ended up in the right hands of a rescue operation and my cousin found a picture of her on the rescue operation's website. She's a happy dog now and loves the snow.

 

[Kaz2012]

Why do people abandon pets? Why? If they don't want a pet any more then why don't they just give them to a rescue centre or to a friend or relative who they know would give them a good home?
Now THIS is what I do call lack of empathy. How do these people sleep at night knowing they have deliberately abandoned a domestic animal that has feelings? Their own pet is miles away, all alone? Animals FEEL things too. It makes me feel so sad that some people can do this. What goes through their minds?
One time someone told me they saw a puppy abandoned on the side of a road with his blanket. He was cold and shivering. It made me burst into tears, even though she said she phoned the RSPCA to come and rescue the poor little dog.

I'm more of a cat person than a dog person but even so, I still hate to see dogs hurt or abandoned. Why do people do it???

I agree with you. To me these type of people are utter scum. If you cannot keep a pet for some valid reason, make the effort to rehome. People need to think about whether they should get a pet or not more carefully. My cats are everything to me. I would never abandon them and put their comfort and needs above my own. They do have feelings and do not understand why they are suddenly abandoned and are not equipped to fend for themselves. Also people should desex their pets and no pet should be sold not desexed. Anyone operating those disgusting puppy/kitten farms should be jailed. I also think the penalties for animal cruelty are a joke and should be the same as for the same treatment of people/children. Sorry for the rant - i feel very strongly about this.

 

[Judge]

I also think the penalties for animal cruelty are a joke and should be the same as for the same treatment of people/children. Sorry for the rant - i feel very strongly about this.

Unfortunately there's an economic reality tied to such issues which has been in place for a very long time.

That pets and sentimental value have no recognized intrinsic value as opposed to a "farm animal". Compounded by the logistical limitations of volunteer pet rescue operations.

 

[AndyFBlues]

Sadly, if there are people who abandon and/or abuse children, then it should not be a surprise that they would do the same to an animal. While I know that there are good, kindhearted folks out there, sometimes I can't help but feel that our species is deeply flawed.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

I have always found commonality with Ellie May Clampett. Cheerfully doing chores, never dressing up really fancy, and making sure to take in any animal that needs my help. I adore animals. I can't physically pass a dog, or cat, or even a hen that seems interested in me without telling them what a good boy or girl they are, and giving them lots of affection.

I even play fight with dogs and cats. Grabbing them gently by the snout and pretending to have a grand old war. They gently bite me and paw me and I get my "revenge" over and over and over. It's fun.

City folks, I don't think they play fight with their pets very often. Because while in the country, people laugh about it, but in the city, I'll be sitting on someone's couch and grabbing their dog or cat, gently, by the snout, growling at them, and the owner will come over "OH gosh! Dont do that! He might bite you!" I want to be like "Ma'am, it's awful! He's gnawing on me as we speak." lol.

As a kid, we always had strays show up. I was such an animal lover. I remember getting lectured "Don't touch it!" "Ignore it!" "Quit feedin it!" "It needs to go home!".

And then as an adult, any baby injured animal immediately becomes my pet. I do my best to help, but sometimes they do pass. Especially with birds.

I don't know what it is, but whenever I move somewhere, and someone finds a stray cat who recently had kittens, they always ask me if I will care for her and her babies. I always say yes. I'm quite well versed in bathing and de fleaing little ones.

I do love mamas and their little nursie babies.

One litter, the mom must have had some kind of genetic disorder, because a couple of the kittens were born with their paws on upside down. They were having trouble making their way to her teat, or just getting out of the way of their siblings. Latching on too.

Out of six, one kitten had one flipped paw, and there was one little orange guy "friendly feet" who had four upside down paws. They were also unusually infested with fleas.

The vet told me to bring them to the pound. And one day, I put them in their cardboard box, and took them to animal services. It was hard to do. I'm pretty sure the disabled ones were euthanized. But it really was the only choice.

 

[Aspychata]

We lived on the reservation which was a real dichotomy of behaviors. First there was the native Americans that treated their horses better then their children, then there were the federal employees who left their pets after their contract ended with the feds. So l spent some time finding animals and taking them to the shelter. But rescue animals can become frightened of strangers.

 

[Misty Avich]

I just have such intense empathy for animals, I can't bear it.
I have intense empathy for humans too but in a different way. With animals it feels different.
Like when I watched the movie Cannibal Holocaust, seeing little animals getting killed for real on camera really traumatised me. Even thinking about it now gives me panic attacks.
I think it might be because animals think differently to how humans do, so I can only imagine from a human perspective how an animal's thoughts and feelings work, and I get all anxious and panicky. With a human I know 100% how they feel (even though I've never been tortured or abused physically myself), so my empathy presents differently and I can process and rationalise it more than I can with animals. I don't know.

 

[Judge]

Unlike fellow humans, animals have no hidden agendas.

Perhaps the most basic reason for relating more to animals than our own species.

With no reason to apologize for it.

 

[Mary Terry]

Sadly, if there are people who abandon and/or abuse children, then it should not be a surprise that they would do the same to an animal. While I know that there are good, kindhearted folks out there, sometimes I can't help but feel that our species is deeply flawed.

You make an excellent point about de facto and constructive abandonment of children.

What is wrong with humans?! I see pet food sold in a refrigerated case at the grocery store for $10.00+ per pound, and hungry children with an overworked mother who is trying to feed her children something good and nutritious but who can't afford to buy a pound of ground beef to make a meal for them. The disconnect between the two is beyond sad.