Dog Attack

Jayco-noslide wrote:
People who find they have dangerous aggressive dogs should be able to have them put down without being lectured by animal right people. Our daughter had an unpredictable, crazy acting Beagle then had a baby. Had a heck of a time finding a kennel to take it. They were treated like it was a child they were trying t get rid of.

This is a tough one. Many people will quickly "get rid of" a pet when a baby comes along. Often they will claim the animal is a danger to the baby when there is no danger - just a person choosing to get rid of an unwanted pet.

Then there are those who truly have a problem pet. Who have done everything possible to correct the issue, have tried every out!et to find it a new home and who truly cannot keep it.

I have dealt with both personally. I had a co-worker ask me to take her older cat (that she had had since it was a kitten) because she got pregnant and didn't want the cat to steal the baby's breath. I told her to take it to the animal services and know that there was a 90 percent chance of it being destroyed. She wanted an easy way out of pet ownership and I wasn't going to give it to her.

My next door neighbors took in an abused rottie from the neighborhood. They had him for quite a few years and had developed a trust with him. But the dog was unsafe around others. When they were forced to move due to health reasons, they contacted every rescue in the area and tried to find another home for him that would work with no luck. No one would help them. They weren't moving by choice. They weren't just dumping him because they were tired of him. And they were in an impossible position. They went to a local vet who refused to euthanize the dog and made them feel like horrid people. I went with them to my vet who did the euthanasia because it was the best solution in that situation.

There is a huge difference between those two events and they were very clear to see the difference. Most are somewhere in between and it's more difficult to determine the best solution.

I once had a cat who sprayed. A friend came by one day and told me "you need to get rid of that cat". I said " Get rid of where? " and she said "I don't know but you shouldn't have to deal with this".
I replied, "I've had him since he was a kitten and if I'm unwilling to put up with his behavior, why would anyone else choose to take him knowing he sprays? So I guess you mean I should have him killed." She got very quiet. It never occurred to her that if the cat was "gotten rid of" it therefore had to be "gotten" somewhere else. I suppose she thought it would miraculously appear at that dreamworld "farm in the country" where it could spend out its days in bliss.