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?

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.

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. :)

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.

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.

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.

Bleh, excuses like that are insane -.-

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...

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

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