HEARTBROKEN DOG

catlover · ‎03-13-2010

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It’s a tough decision to give up a pet to a shelter, even if you realize that you’re no longer able to care for it. Still, as difficult as it is for us, it’s much worse for the animal who has no way of understanding what’s going on.

North Carolina animal shelter owner Tammy Graves knows the heartbreak and confusion a newly surrendered animal can feel. With a few simple photographs, she captured the dejected spirit of a dog who had a family one morning and was all alone the next…“This is what happens when people bring their dogs to a shelter and leave them. This guy yesterday morning woke up happy on a couch or in a warm bed, waiting to be fed, hopped in the car thinking he was going to the park — or if it was a bad day he was going to the vet. Instead, he went to a place where there are 275 dogs barking to be freed, it smells like death, and doors are banging shut all the time.“ cahs-2 Tammy concluded: “Animals walk by and never return. And he has no idea his fate. All he knows is he didn’t ask to be here. He didn’t even ask to be born to irresponsible owners. But today he lays frozen in fear, in a puddle of his own urine. Afraid to move, afraid to make eye contact, thinking just maybe he can fade away into this wall. Because if he does no one will see him and just maybe he can escape whatever fate waits for him. This is the reality of irresponsible pet ownership and the shelter system.” cash-3 Luckily for Cash, Tammy’s message received a huge response. Hundreds of people sent her messages offering to adopt the dog or provide financial support, and the shelter thinks they’ve found the poor pup a new home just as soon as she’s been medically cleared by the vet! cash-4

CATS ARE HEAVEN SENT

AKgirl2 · ‎05-24-2016

St. Francis of Assisi pray for us...🐶🐱all!

SahmIam · ‎04-16-2010

"This is the reality of irresponsible pet ownership"

It is NOT irresponsible ownership and I take issue with that statement. Irresponsible ownership is dumping your dog on the side of the road and driving away because you can't be bothered; leaving them out to roam at whim where they can get attacked or hit by a car; not getting them spayed or neutered. We don't know WHY this family had to give the dog up but saying that a person who chooses to bring them to a shelter instead of dumping or shooting them is irresponsible is....

IRRESPONSIBLE of the person saying it.

Geez.

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

I cried when I saw your post @catlover.

Some people I will never understand. Thankfully there are good people in this world who care for our animals.

colliegirls · ‎05-13-2012

I saw that on my news feed this morning. Those photos broke my heart. Shelters and rescues are always better than dumping, of course, but many people give up their dogs for petty reasons. How they do it, I have no idea, heaven knows I could never have parted with any of my dogs.

eddyandme · ‎09-24-2011

I believe dumping a pet into a shelter is cruel and abusive treatment and these "people" doing so should be punished and never, ever allowed to have a pet again.

I say "people" because these despicable beings do not deserve to be categorized as people. If for some reason you're unable to care for a pet, you give them an adjustment period, e.g., bring them to a day care and let them mingle with others without you; or, board them for a weekend to get them accustomed for a separation. Then, you interview and check around asking friends to see of there's anyone who could love your pet.

Just imagine how we feel when we suddenly lose a loved one. These pets have the same feelings along with feeling scared and abandonned.

And, for those who dump a senior pet into a shelter - there's a special place in -ell for that genre!

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

@SahmIam wrote:
"This is the reality of irresponsible pet ownership"

It is NOT irresponsible ownership and I take issue with that statement. Irresponsible ownership is dumping your dog on the side of the road and driving away because you can't be bothered; leaving them out to roam at whim where they can get attacked or hit by a car; not getting them spayed or neutered. We don't know WHY this family had to give the dog up but saying that a person who chooses to bring them to a shelter instead of dumping or shooting them is irresponsible is....

IRRESPONSIBLE of the person saying it.

Geez.

@SahmIam - I agree with everything you said. In my area we had someone who literally dumped a dog outside a shelter (that was closed she said). The shelter had indeed closed 5 minutes before she got there, but the lights were on, the staff were inside and she was caught on camera making no attempt to knock on the door.

She simply dumped the dog out of the car and drove off, with the poor dog running after the car. The shelter staff alerted the media and attempts were made to find the dog. Sadly, three days later it was hit and killed by a car.

I am glad to say people were able to identify her and she has been prosecuted. Of course, she had all kinds of excuses for what she did and then said she wouldn't make the same decision again (yeah, right - in other words, she'd do it somewhere she couldn't be caught).

Now THAT is irresponsible pet ownership. (And I don't know about the shelter in the OP's news story, but the shelters where I am are nothing like that. They certainly don't "smell of death"! There are usually lines of people waiting before the doors open to adopt animals.)

"" A little learning is a dangerous thing."-Alexander Pope

circles · ‎03-10-2010

This is such a sad thread...I almost wish i had not opened it...I have said many times...I could not walk through shelters to choose a pet...it would break my heart to pick one and have to leave the rest behind...those sad faces...

I live in an apartment where pets are not allowed...in my case thats a good thing...gosh knows how many i would have in here...

I have to agree with those posters who say its far better for people to take their pets to a shelter then dump them off on the road...i choose to beleive something has happened and that is why people have to give up their beloved pet...rather then call them irresponsible...

05gage25 · ‎11-16-2014

It is sad when an animal has to be taken to a shelter. I would hope if that had to happen, it would be to a no-kill shelter at least. And dropping animals off some where to fend for themselves is despicable. I watched Dr.Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet, and he said one time, that he had seen people give up their pets because they got new furniture and the animal no longer matched it! Unbelievable.