08-10-2011 at 1:38 PM

I agree completely Jive<br /> <br /> And wow that's pretty bad, it's great that you got her though! Sounds like she suffered from separation anxiety. I bet the owner turned around and got another impulse puppy -.-

08-10-2011 at 11:10 AM

Once my parents were looking at dogs at a shealter and a lady said she had one they might like. She went in the parking lot and brought in a dog(she was a mixed breed, no clue WHAT mix she was so mixed) and said she was cheap, kennel and evrything. So when my parents went to pick up the stuff, she asked her owner why they coulnt keep her. Apparently she was 'weird'. Turns out she was abused but she only had minour faults. Like chewing tables, protectiveness was her main one. She bit cause she got scared. But because she was weird?! Come on people! Roxy was not Lassie, but she was a great dog anyway! People dont give protective dogs a chance. We kept her till the day she died. She was awsome with some faults. Don't we all have faults?

08-9-2011 at 9:48 PM

Just as a note, sending a dog that has bitten someone to a shelter is almost assuredly a death sentence for that animal. Sometimes, dogs bite because they're in pain, sick, etc. Sending a dog to its death because (likely) its owner didn't nip some behavioral issue in the bud or didn't identify a physical illness/injury is just as bad as the rest of the reasons, biting or no. If a dog is irreparably aggressive, euthanasia is really the only option. But not many dogs fit that criteria, and certainly not without some irresponsible person causing them to behave that way.

08-9-2011 at 4:18 PM

Actually, in most dogs males are more laid back than females. Unless you specifically were getting them for breeding (which, I wouldn't trust the breeder at and they shouldn't be producing puppies if they cannot tell the difference) then there is no reason you can't keep a boy instead of a girl or vice-versa. They're all trainable and loveable the same way.

08-9-2011 at 2:19 PM

Well,I think there are some valid resons to get rid of a dog. If the dog bit someone you should problbly get rid of it. (Unless it was demonstrating puppy behavior,then thats different.) <br /> "gender doesn't mean they love you any different"<br /> Well in some breeds that may be true,but most breeds males and females have different levels of trainablity,mellowness,and sometimes affection. Like with Dobermans,females are generally more calm then males. BUT I still don't see the reson to give up an ENTIRE puppy because of that. Unless you were a breeder with minimal room to keep dogs in but bought the wrong sex dog. (Which unless they bought it offline and never looked at it. They should never make that mistake.)

08-8-2011 at 9:38 AM

Honestly if I had ever heard the whole 'decor' problem, it would have taken all of my energy to not just take the animal and say, " Thanks for your business." And then walk away

08-7-2011 at 2:38 PM

You want to know my favorite excuse why some one brought a dog into be abandoned/put down?<br /> <br /> "The dog no longer matches the decor of my living room."<br /> <br /> This seriously happened at the vet's I was working at. It was a miniature silver poodle, and the lady wanted to get a white poodle and dye it with tiger stripes to match her "safari" theme e_e I was in complete shock, outrage and disgust. [the dog was adopted by one of the other techs at the office thank goodness]<br /> <br /> It happens because we live in a throw away society I think. xxxx doesn't work or you no longer like it? Just buy a new one, its better than fixing it! Seems to be the kind of attitude a lot of people have. Personally I love fixing 'broken' things, including animals. I have ALL unwanted pets, meaning, someone else just threw them away for various reasons, and I have given them a forever home. Funny thing is all my animals are in peak health and have no behavioral issues, it just takes a bit of work.<br /> <br /> I've rehabilitated several foster animals to the point the local rescue center loved to send me severe cases. Sadly I can't now, not with college. But it seriously only takes a bit of time and effort to "fix" any problems the animal has. I don't believe taking an animal to the pound should ever be thought of as an option. <br /> <br /> Dog has too much hair? Take it to the groomers to be trimmed, problem solved. Dog too big? Well if you trained it properly, then its not really an issue. Dog's destructive for various reasons? You can crate train them to keep them and your things safe while you are unable to supervise them. Dog's too energetic? Find a way to exercise them both you and them can enjoy [even just a treadmill works!]. <br /> <br /> I mean, for any animal problem you can plug in a search to google and find a ton of possible causes and solutions. Its not like you need to be an expert animal trainer, just willing to do a tiny bit of research is all.

08-7-2011 at 7:12 AM

I work at a vet clinic. So I hear the reasons people are putting down their dog (other than sick etc). The one I've heard the most is it's getting to aggressive, I've wished idk how many times i wish i had a house and property for the kitties who are being put down.<br /> <br /> The worse though I heard from a friend(class mate of mine, we're studying to be RVTs). The cat was being put down because she was "to friendly" and was making the owner more depressed...... needless to say my friend convinced the owner to let her take her and she now has an extra cat at her house looking for a new home.

08-7-2011 at 12:53 AM

<i>you honestly can't expect the average person to study every possible breed, find one they would be interested, then search through pages and pages of shelters/animals/locations/etc. </i><br /> <br /> Yes, I can. People should do their research. They don't have to read about every, single breed. They can google the traits they want and get 18 suggestions on breeds that fit that description. It really isn't that hard, especially with today's technology, and anything else is irresponsible. <br /> The crucial thing you're missing here is that "normal" != "acceptable." Plenty of people do very irresponsible things with their pets, like feed them inappropriate food, let them get overweight and unhealthy, and breed them without a good reason. "But everyone else is doing it," doesn't make it okay.<br /> <br /> Sadie sounds bored. Toys and walks aren't all a dog needs, especially one with as much energy as a Golden Retriever. She probably needed mental stimulation in addition to walks. A dog like that can easily run circles around their owners if given no appropriate exercise: walks don't cut it. That's a jogging or swimming buddy. Realistically, a good few mile run would be what that dog needs.<br /> Goldens are known to be high energy dogs. They should have known this before bringing her home.<br /> <br /> I'm not going to go piece by piece because all those excuses amount to the same thing: traits and troubles people should have planned for and foreseen...and which they easily could have with even the slightest of research or planning.<br /> Although I'd like to mention "too old" in specific. If you have a dog for 7+ years and suddenly want a new model so turn yours in...that's despicable. I don't see how anyone can consider that even the slightest bit defensible.

08-7-2011 at 12:24 AM

First, I do not think in any way that sending a dog to the shelter is a good choice. I don't support it in anyway, nor would I send any of my own animals to the shelter. But, I understand that there are cases where it is the best choice for both the owner and the dog.<br /> <br /> I understand that people <i>should</i> have studied the breed, but the simple fact is most people don't. Most people are near-sighted and/or stupid (I can honestly admit I rarely think most things through), so when they go to get a pet pick the first animal that they think is cute.<br /> Now, I'm not saying you're wrong, and I definitely don't support sending a dog to the shelter. But you honestly can't expect the average person to study every possible breed, find one they would be interested, then search through pages and pages of shelters/animals/locations/etc. <br /> So as for those which could be pinned on the owner, yes, the problem could have been avoided, but I don't believe you can blame a person for getting a dog that stole their heart before researching it's breed.<br /> "Too old"<br /> Okay, so it sounds terrible, but think of it from the point of a family with young children. A parent knows their dog is going to go soon and they know their child loves the dog dearly. They could keep the dog through it's last days and deal with days or even weeks of crying from their child, or they can tell the child that the dog has to find a new home and take it to a shelter. It is a terrible thing to do to a dog, but for many giving a dog away is much easier than watching it die.<br /> <br /> "female shepherd mix surrendered because she was the wrong sex (seriously - I couldn't believe it either)"<br /> But most people who get dogs know absolutely nothing about dogs. Yeah, here on wajas, we're all 'experts' about everything canine related, but in the real world most people couldn't tell you what to feed a dog, much less tell it's gender. Maybe they weren't told correctly or the dog was mislabeled while for sale and they only found out once they got the pup home.<br /> <br /> -"It couldn't be housebroken (many of them probably don't offer enough changes for the pup to go outside.)"<br /> Okay, you're right, they probably shouldn't have gotten a puppy. So ignore my last point. What if they under-estimated the difficulty or the dog refused to learn. My sister's mother-in-law tried to potty-train a chihuahua for 3 years, but were unable to. They also bred Maltese and trained all of the pups from the three litters they had, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get him to go outside. Apparently he didn't learn in the same way as the other pups, nor did he want to learn. They finally had to hire someone to potty-train him. What if the family truly tried to train the dog, but it refused to learn?<br /> <br /> -"it chewed stuff (probably because it was bored)."<br /> "That's one person, and this could easily be trained out of a dog."<br /> That's true, it was only one person, but it could not be trained out of her. They had trainers work with the dog, they followed all the tips from online guides, and they did everything they could to calm her down, but she was still extremely destructive. Yes, this was just one family, but that doesn't mean the family didn't have the same problem.<br /> <br /> "I don't want my dog, he doesn't hunt good."<br /> I don't think dogs are disposable, and honestly don't think it's a particularly good reason to give up a dog. But, they were extreme hunters. They would pack everything up, take a couple four-wheelers, and spend about a month hunting deer, quail, duck, and fishing. For that time there is no one at their house to take care of a dog. Also, if a dog is scared of gunshots or isn't properly trained it could scare away all the game or get hurt/killed. If they were a hardcore hunting family, having a dog that could go out into the woods would be a must.<br /> <br /> -"The dog just doesn't listen to me!"<br /> Key word: Usually. What if the dog really wouldn't listen or respond to them no matter how hard they tried to train it. What if they meant it as, "I can not get the dog to respond to my training or commands"?<br /> <br /> -"because she had fleas"<br /> Again, people are near-sighted. That person/family properly thought their dog would never get fleas and wasn't able to get proper care for it.<br /> <br /> <br /> I agree, getting a dog is something a person should be prepared to live with for the rest of their life and/or the rest of the dogs life. The simple fact though, is that most people don't. They think getting a dog will be simple and think every puppy comes in a perfect box with a pretty bow on top, so they are unprepared when they learn that dogs are difficult and time-consuming. Again, people are generally stupid and near-sighted (myself included). Most people have very little knowledge when they get a dog, so they have no clue that they should try to pick a breed before going to buy a dog. I know that is a pretty lame explanation for their irresponsible choices, but it's the honest truth: People just don't know.<br /> <br /> As for the energetic dog, it was a golden retriever named Sadie. She actually was never sent to the shelter. She ended up getting out one day and they never saw her again. They got her as a puppy to be a Christmas present for their two kids. They started out walking her a few times a week and made sure she had a few toys. After the first time she got out when she was almost two, they filled in the hole, started walking her daily, and spent lots of time playing with her. She tried to get out a second time a few months later, so they began walking her once a day on weekdays, twice on weekends and they added more toys to her collection. They started watching her as much as they could, but both parents worked and their kids were usually in school or daycare during the day. They tried keeping her inside for a day, but she chewed a hole in a door, ripped up their furniture, and destroyed some of their shoes and clothes, so they kept her outside. When everyone got home at around 4-5 they would walk her, play with her, etc. On the weekends they spent as much time outside as they could. They were able to keep her in their yard for about two years before she escaped again. They lived next to a busy street and ended up finding her on the other side of it, so they decided to have stone placed along the entire perimeter of the fence. It extended about a foot out from the fence and the rock, which was about 2 inches thick was half buried in the ground. They were sure that she could no longer get out, but they continued in their routine. Then when she was four or five, she got out during the night. They looked everywhere for her, put up posters, and checked around all the local shelters, but never found her. They really tried everything they could think of to calm her down, but nothing was successful.

08-6-2011 at 11:06 PM

In addition to all that KaT said...getting a dog is supposed to be a responsibility and a commitment. I didn't get at all what I expected when I adopted my mutt from the local shelter, but I still have him because he's now my responsibility. I couldn't just take him back because he wasn't exactly what I was hoping for; they would have put him to sleep.<br /> <br /> The problem with most of the excuses given is that it is the responsibility of the human side of this agreement to research what they're getting into and make a responsible decision...seeing as the dog can't do that and has no choice in the matter.<br /> <br /> As for people with dogs that have "too much energy?" There are ways to wear out every dog, and the dog should have been supervised when outside...especially if they already knew it dug under fences. Crate training and training in general would likely have saved that dog from a trip to the shelter. :/ It's up to the human to be responsible and take a very active, likely very young and bored dog into account when planning what dog they'll bring home. Mind if I ask what kind of dog it was?

08-6-2011 at 8:51 PM

And here's where debate comes in x]<br /> <br /> -"Oh we weren't expecting him to get that big!"<br /> If an owner is a getting a dog they should know and have researched the breed, it's their responsibility, therefor a bad excuse. Of course if it's a mutt then there can be an excuse but you can usually tell if they're gonna be tiny or huge as a pup.<br /> <br /> -" Too much hair!" <br /> Again, it's their responsibilty to research the breed. Mutts are exeptions.<br /> <br /> -"Too old"<br /> They knew this from the start, and now that dog has about an 80% of dying in the shelter alone or being put to sleep without the people it has spent it's entire life with.<br /> <br /> -"Mastiff mix surrendered because he got too big (his name was "King" and he was a Mastiff - it even sounds like "massive"!)"<br /> Again, their responsibility, a dog isn't just a fish where you get it and feed it and that's usually it.<br /> <br /> -"female shepherd mix surrendered because she was the wrong sex (seriously - I couldn't believe it either)"<br /> If the owner knew literally ANYTHING about dogs, they should know if it's a girl or boy, and gender doesn't mean they love you any different.<br /> <br /> -"It couldn't be housebroken (many of them probably don't offer enough changes for the pup to go outside.)"<br /> Then they shouldn't have gotten a puppy. They're a lot of work.<br /> <br /> -"it chewed stuff (probably because it was bored)."<br /> That's one person, and this could easily be trained out of a dog.<br /> <br /> -"I don't want my dog, he doesn't hunt good."<br /> I'm not even going to argue more than dogs are NOT disposables. Just because it isn't very good at something doesn't mean you can just dump it somewhere else and get another.<br /> <br /> -"Oh he has gotten too big for me to handle."<br /> Read what I've posted before =p<br /> <br /> -"She has too much shedding fur!"<br /> And again....<br /> <br /> -"The dog just doesn't listen to me!"<br /> That's usually their fault, there are no bad dogs only bad owners, it's probably how it was raised, you can't get a dog and expect it to be perfect.<br /> <br /> -"because she had fleas"<br /> If you get a dog you should be prepared for simple medical treatments such as this period.

08-6-2011 at 6:42 PM

Honestly, I can totally understand most of the 'excuses' posted. Do I think sending dogs to shelters is a good thing? no. Do I think that most people have a perfectly logical reason for doing so? yes. So, because I have nothing else to do, I am going to put the logical reasons to these :)<br /> <br /> -"Oh we weren't expecting him to get that big!"<br /> So they didn't research the breed or didn't know the breed. It's a very common mistake and I think its a reasonable reason.<br /> <br /> -" She's just too energetic."<br /> My friends has this same problem. They walked the dog at least once a day, gave it toys and played with it, but it still dug under their fence four times, tore up all their furniture, and ran around like a maniac at all times.<br /> <br /> -" Too much hair!" <br /> Again, they didn't know. They had no clue the dog would shed so much and weren't able to deal with the mess.<br /> <br /> -"Too old"<br /> Perhaps the family knew that the dog might pass away soon and they decided it would be easier to give the dog away than to watch it die.<br /> <br /> -"Elderly people who dropped off puppies for being "too energetic"" <br /> I imagine they were hoping that the pups would be lap dogs. Since the owners were elderly, they were probably unable to give the dogs proper exercise and care.<br /> <br /> -"purebred lab surrendered because of divorce (couldn't one party keep the dog?)"<br /> My sister is going through a divorce right now. Both parties are moving into rent homes which do not allow pets. Most divorcees do the same thing.<br /> <br /> -"Mastiff mix surrendered because he got too big (his name was "King" and he was a Mastiff - it even sounds like "massive"!)"<br /> Perhaps they weren't informed of it's breed or did not know how large the dog would end up getting.<br /> <br /> -"female shepherd mix surrendered because she was the wrong sex (seriously - I couldn't believe it either)"<br /> What if they had an un-fixed male dog already and did not want to spend money to have the dogs fixed or deal with loads of pups?<br /> <br /> -"shepherd mix surrendered because she was "aggressive toward chickens" (she's a dog)"<br /> As someone else said, that would be a serious problem if they lived near any chicken farms.<br /> <br /> -"the person was allergic (how can you walk into a shelter full of dogs and not realize you're allergic before adopting?)"<br /> My family had 5 cats for about 4 years before I started having severe Anaphylaxis(extreme allergies) towards them. If I went near any of the cats my face would swell up and I often had extreme difficulty breathing around them. <br /> <br /> -"It couldn't be housebroken (many of them probably don't offer enough changes for the pup to go outside.)"<br /> Perhaps they did not have the time or patience to put into potty-training.<br /> <br /> -"it chewed stuff (probably because it was bored)."<br /> My neighbor had a golden retriever who was walked twice a day, had a yard-full of chew toys and still chewed on their fence, furniture, and any items left on the ground.<br /> <br /> -"moving"<br /> Did you ever think they were moving to a new state and didn't want to have a dog in the car for multiple days? Or they had to move into a house that didn't allow pets?<br /> <br /> -"I don't want my dog, he doesn't hunt good."<br /> I have friends who buy dogs for the specific purpose of hunting. They train them to be hunting companions and birds dogs for hunting season every year. They would have no use in a dog who could not be some type of help in hunting situations. They also don't buy based on breed, they buy based on personality with the hope that they can train them.<br /> <br /> -"My dog and cat do not get along with each other, so I'll be dropping them off here."<br /> Okay, dropping off the dog AND the cat would be stupid, but if they dropped off one I completely understand. If it was one, it was probably because they had the other for years and didn't want to risk it getting hurt.<br /> <br /> -"My dog [yorkie] barks and yaps too much for me to handle"<br /> Okay, that is also a dumb reason, but they probably were uninformed on the breed.<br /> <br /> -"Oh he has gotten too big for me to handle."<br /> They most likely weren't knowledgeable on the breed or were unable to have large dogs where they lived.<br /> <br /> -"She has too much shedding fur!"<br /> Again, the person probably wasn't informed on the breed and didn't know how much of a mess it would make.<br /> <br /> -"The cat's color didn't fit the new furniture..."<br /> Seriously?!? I have no explanation for that. That is completely ridiculous...<br /> <br /> -"The dog just doesn't listen to me!"<br /> Okay, it may be a lame excuse, but what if they had desperately tried to train the dog and were unable to get it to listen to them<br /> <br /> -"because she had fleas"<br /> That is a pretty lame excuse for most people, unless they didn't have the funds or information to get any type of treatment for the dog.<br /> <br /> Now, I wasn't present for any of these and my thoughts may be false, but I believe most of the examples posted are completely reasonable. Maybe I just try to see the best in people, or I'm completely misinformed, but I really believe that most reasons are completely viable. Besides, it better for them to be at a shelter than on the streets. :)

08-4-2011 at 9:19 PM

My dog's old owners were planning to send her to a shelter if we didn't adopt her "because she had fleas". Needless to say, that statement was enough to covince us to take her. Some people are just so ignorant.

08-4-2011 at 9:15 PM

Do you guys want to hear my favorite excuse? It's "The dog just doesn't listen to me!" It's like asking the person, did you even bother to train it? Not all dogs are like Benji or Air Bud. Tell the dog to sit and, om my gosh, it already knows that. I laugh when owners who have never trained their dog to listen to them have the idea that the dog will automatically know it because it's a dog and it's supposed to be loyal and do whatever they want it to.

08-4-2011 at 8:24 PM

Worst thing I heard was that the cat's color didn't fit the new furniture... that still makes me speechless today. <br /> <br /> But:<br /> <br /> -purebred lab surrendered because of divorce (couldn't one party keep the dog?)<br /> <br /> No, because you have sell the house and move into smaller spaces which often do not allow pets. Sad reality for many families breaking up.<br /> <br /> -shepherd mix surrendered because she was "aggressive toward chickens" (she's a dog)<br /> <br /> <br /> Yeah and there are a lot of dogs not aggressive towards chickens, and if you are on or next to a farm you absolutely CANNOT afford to have a poultry or cattle aggressive dog. Some dogs get shot for this. <br /> <br /> -how can you walk into a shelter full of dogs and not realize you're allergic before adopting?<br /> <br /> A lot of allergies develop due to medications, Steroids, some antibiotics and hormones can trigger bad allergies. I got allergic to my guinea pigs (and later the cats) after a course of antibiotics. It happens. <br /> <br /> And then there is the allergy to something else (like hayfever or mites) developing into an allergy against a lot of other things. Happened to my cousin, she can't be anywhere close to any sort of animal and even some people.

08-4-2011 at 8:08 PM

Bleh, excuses like that are insane -.-

08-4-2011 at 3:58 PM

on eof my neighbors is currently passing on her staffie to a friend because she simply doesn't have the time for her, but several of my mum's friends have worked in vets and shelter's and many people have taken in pets because they were inexpectedly moving and the new home wasn't big enough for the dog, they've also had someone that took their dog in becaue they were renting the house and they had breached their contract by having the dog even thought the landlord nor the contract had mentioned anything about pets...

08-4-2011 at 12:14 PM

I've worked at a boarding and grooming kennel for awhile now. (Then we move them to our shelter, for reasons)We've allowed dogs and cats to be brought in by the owner who no longer wanted that pet, for pathetically sad and ridiculous reasoning without a doubt. Such as, "I don't want my dog, he doesn't hunt good." - I'm mean seriously? If he wanted a dog for hunting he could've bought one that was a hunting dog or he could've trained one for that matter. And the dog he had brought in was a Sheltie mix. <br /> But I've seen worse pathetic reasons, but some maybe not worse. Like, "My dog and cat do not get along with each other, so I'll be dropping them off here." or, "My dog barks and yaps too much for me to handle." - That dog was a Yorkie, and since I have had a Yorkie in the past, I know how they are. Of course a small "toy" dog like will bark and yap a lot. She even said she knew that but she though they only yapped when you were gone. - Yeah, not really. They tend to yap for various reasons. <br /> But I have heard the reasons, "Oh he has gotten too big for me to handle." or "She has too much shedding fur!" - if a person want a dog that does not shed, look one up. I know many breeds on the top of my head that do <u>not</u> shed. Such as, a Shih-Tzu, Lhasa Apso, Poodle, Bishon Friese, and the list goes on.<br /> <br /> Well, I'm done. :P

08-4-2011 at 1:47 AM

I've been at my local shelter for over 6 years and I've seen some of the most inane reasons for surrender. Granted, some are understandable, like "health of owner/family" and "not enough time/money" (at least they didn't just abandon the poor thing?). But others... Some of them are insanely sad. <br /> <br /> Here's just a few of the worst ones I've seen:<br /> -purebred lab surrendered because of divorce (couldn't one party keep the dog?)<br /> -Mastiff mix surrendered because he got too big (his name was "King" and he was a <i>Mastiff</i> - it even sounds like "massive"!)<br /> -female shepherd mix surrendered because she was the wrong sex (seriously - I couldn't believe it either)<br /> -shepherd mix surrendered because she was "aggressive toward chickens" (she's a <b>dog</b>)<br /> <br /> And then you have the variety of dogs returned because the person was allergic (how can you walk into a shelter <i>full</i> of dogs and not realize you're allergic <b>before</b> adopting?), it couldn't be housebroken (many of them probably don't offer enough changes for the pup to go outside), or it chewed stuff (probably because it was bored).<br /> <br /> I try to give people the benefit of the doubt - maybe they put every effort into housebreaking their new friend, but the dog just wouldn't learn. Or maybe they had chew toys laid out everywhere, but he chewed the furniture instead. Or maybe it was a suddenly developing allergy? (Okay, that last one is difficult to justify.) But some of them are just unbelievable. And don't even get me started on the reasons involving "moving"! There was one dog (she was one of my favorites, named Tia) who was at the shelter for <i>months</i> before getting adopted. Then she was back up in adoptions a week later (after the 3 day waiting period after surrender, meaning she'd been in a home a total of 3 or 4 days). Turns out the people brought her back because they were "moving". *sigh*<br /> <br /> Not really sure where the debate is in this, but thought I'd weigh in anyways :P