Are people insane???

[Radosti]

I posted a bunch of beagle pups we are taking in from a research facility on our website for adoption. I am getting some good applications on them and some insane ones.
Exhibit A:
81 year old - applying for a 6 months old puppy. Beagles live up to 14 years... it is unlikely that she will outlive this dog. Why???? Why??? Why would she not apply for an older adult dog??? I'm not going to deliberately place a puppy into that situation.

Exhibit B:
22 year old girl in a rental unit. The rest of her family lives in Taiwan. This is a highly unstable situation where the girl would potentially get home sick and move back home leaving the dog here.
Well... here I feel a bit bad because she is exactly the same as I was when I was 22 and a rescue gave me a chance and let me adopt my Eli. But at least I had 2 ferrets and a dog already, plus my parents live an hour away. Still... it could work out well and it could be really bad.

Exhibit C: Family that gave away each pet they had because they were having a baby. Yeah, like that's a good excuse. Pardon me while I puke. I don't see why having a baby means getting rid of pets. I have 3 dogs and 3 cats and they all adore my son and he adores them. I have never considered getting rid of them while I was pregnant. In fact, I often relied on them for comfort and support during the pregnancy. My grey cat used to pace the floor with me at night when I would get a charlie horse. My siamese used to purr against my belly to get the baby to move so I would stop freaking out that "I haven't felt the baby move in a while."

On a positive note, I have some very promising applications. So, all is not lost.

[npace19147]

In general people like your exhibit C drive me nuts. I know that there are times when it is necessary to adopt out your pets when you have a child (if the child has allergies, or actually we used to have a cat who was kinda unstable tempermentally, if he hadn't had to be put down before DD was born it was going to be a hard decision to face). But to give away a perfectly normal happy pet b/c you're going to have a baby is just wrong. And if no extenuating circumstances, ITA, no new pet for you.

We have two dogs - one we had before DD, one we got when she was about a year - and she absolutely adores them. It breaks my heart to think of them not being here.

Sorry, hormones getting the best of me...I'll stop now...

[set81616]

Some people just don't think. It just makes for heartbreak in the end, theirs or the pets.

Side question. What is the best way to find someone who will take a dog? I am going to have to give my 5 year old dog away because we will be moving into on campus housing. She was abandoned as a puppy (neighbor's dog found her shivering under a bush in the middle of winter - only 10 weeks old) and we worked hard to get through her separation anxiety. It kills me to give her up but I want to find someone really good for her. I made an announcement at church but where else can I find someone? Any suggestions on how to make it easier for her? I will NOT take her to the pound, even a no kill one.
Thanks,
Shannon

[Radosti]

If I were you, I'd get her updated on everything (including spay if she isn't spayed yet, vaccines, heartworm test, deworming). Then, I'd log on to www.petfinder.com and start calling/e-mailing rescue groups around your area. If you give them enough time, they could post her online for you and take the time to review all applications and such. It might take several months, but they would find the perfect home for her while she is still living with you. Don't leave it to the last possible moment. I honestly get so mad when people e-mail me, "We're moving next week, please take the dog or he's going to the pound." I honestly just delete those messages right off the bat. I refuse to be bullied into taking a dog because the people didn't plan ahea.

[dylansnan]

I was so completely furious with my cousin for doing this a few years ago.
She was not pregnant yet, but definetly planning on it when her and her husband got this adorable little puppy that was (from what they were told) a Lab/Pitt mix. Well he definetly had the Lab personality of being a total puppy even when he was over a year old. He was full of energy, roudy and needed lots of attention/walks, but so sweet and friendly.(sorry this turning into a long story) They ended up being in the hospital for about a week after their daughter was born, and on the 4th day, I hear through family, that they have decided they will not bring the baby home to the house with "that dog" there. They have called a friend to go get the dog and take it to the shelter (which is a kill shelter, and in our state dogs that are even suspected of having Pitt in them are NOT adopted out:-( Well, I got over there quick and took the dog- mind you I'm severly allergic to him, but there was no way he was ending up at that shelter. I spent a few weeks emailing anyone I could think of- trying to contact rescue groups. Finally, it worked out that a friend of mine visting from out of State ended up taking him, and he lives with her still almost 3 years later.

It put a huge damper on a new baby coming into the family and I was so mad at my cousin and her husband for a while after that.

Ugh! People!

[Radosti]

I'm glad that you saved the dog. I don't know how people can do that to their pets. Even our Ginger, who was abused by the 12-year old in her previous home, LOVES our son. He crawls up to her on her bed and lays his head gently on top of her. Soooooo cute. And she gives him her patented Shiba Inu smiles and brings him her stuffed animals.

Here he is snuggling with Ginger:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/radosti/AaronFeb1807001.jpg
And here he's feeding Cheerios to Eli:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/radosti/Aaron10-13-06023.jpg

[maestramommy]

We had this experience a few years ago. We took in a stray, but it caused so many problems for our other dog (boy was SHE the alpha female or what?!) that we couldn't keep her. The only option I knew of was a shelter, I even told my students we had a dog to give up. One girl who worked at the local humane society told me to look into rescue organizations that would place the dog in a foster situation, and they were strictly no kill. The dog looked like some kind of corgi mix so I went with a corgi rescue. 2 weeks later I met with a foster parent at a rescue showing, and she went home with a new owner, happy as a clam. Sad day for us, but we saw pics later and the dog and owner looked very happy.