Anyone who truly loves animals knows that there are times when it would be best for an animal to be removed from one home and placed in another one. When I had my baby boy, I also had a one-year old miniature poodle, and I was told I would have to "get rid of her" when the baby came. My reply, to put it nicely, was "not in this lifetime"! When my son was about 5 days old, this person came to visit and meet him.. and found me, my son, and my little poodle lying on my bed together. She was horrified! Didn't bother me a bit.
However, if my poodle had not gotten along with my son and I had tried everything I possibly could, I would have been forced to make a choice, and it would have been devastating. Since animals can't talk, no one can possibly know what causes situations to develop where a difficult decision has to be made. But sometimes it's better for the animal.
Some here have read one or two of my posts about my elderly neighbor's Boxer dog, Roxie. She is an absolute love, and I have cared for her for weeks at a time when the lady was in a nursing home or hospital. The dog lived outside for years in extreme heat and cold, and I have cried many, many tears over this animal that is not mine. I've done everything I possibly can to keep her safe and cared for. Her so-called "house" was a very large pet carrier with holes in the sides, which is certainly not going to keep her warm, even though it's under a carport. I have surrounded her "house" with plywood and covered it with blankets in the winter, and bought large fans to set up on the carport for her in the extreme heat. She wasn't exactly mistreated, just not cared for properly, which means different things to different people, so nothing could be done legally. There were times when I told my son that if things didn't get better, I was going to get him to come late one night and steal her, and we would have had to take her out of state to a relative's home because her ears make her very recognizable.
She finally was allowed to live inside when the lady's indoor Jack Russell passed away. And I think the lady loves her in her own way. Her daughter and SIL have now moved in to care for the lady, and Roxie is happier. They still don't take her to the vet sometimes when they should, and I still have problems with them where she is concerned. And you can bet if I think they're not caring for her properly, I make my opinions known loud and clear, and they know I will continue to do so.
In my opinion, Roxie should have been removed from that home years ago and placed with a very loving family, maybe with other dogs or children, because she's a sweetheart. But she's not mine, unfortunately. So before making judgments that people are terrible for "getting rid of an animal" because of particular situations, just know that some of those decisions are heart-wrenching but necessary. I'm not talking about people who just don't really care about their animals, I'm talking about the ones who truly love them as part of their family.
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