DO WE REALLY LOVE OUR PETS?
Every year thousands of dogs and cats are abandoned, many of
them die in the streets, run over by cars or due to hunger or diseases. Those
who manage to survive end up living in horrible conditions, without a shelter or
in dog pounds. These places are crowded, even if some of the animals are
adopted more and more keep on arriving.
All this is related to the undesired litters, born by
accident, and a good solution could be to spay or neuter our pets.
Countries such as the United States or the United Kingdom are
very used to these practices and think of them as something usefull, but here
in Spain many people still think that it is cruel and heartless.
Do you think it is a good solution? Or is it inhuman? What
other options would you propose to prevent abandonment?
In my opinion, the decision of spaying or neutering our dogs depends on what we will do with them, and with that I mean that if we’ll keep feeding, loving and taking care of our pets, why should we spay or neuter them? (I mean, that could be a good option if you don’t want more pets around but… It is kind of inhuman). But if not, that’d be a good option. However, there are some people who don’t even feed their animals and just bought them because they are nice while these pets are still young, and those people probably won’t pay for that. So from where I sit, the problem is: Why do people who hate animals have pets? Why do they torture them cutting their ears, not giving them food, abandoning them or what is worst, burning them? What Alba suggests is a good option, but I am pretty sure a lot of people won’t pay that so what I would suggest is… What about talking to the government and asking them to put more dog pounds but with better conditions like not killing them after a few years, taking care of them, etc.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I suppose the government won’t listen my suggestion, but that could be a good idea because the high number of pets dying in bad conditions would decrease, and those new dog pounds would give jobs. It’s a petty that those lovely animals die that much often…
Alejandra Séculi
I must say that I love animals and I have a dog, Rally. At my house we’ve had all kinds of animals, from rabbits to birds, fish, tortoise and dogs. I’ve always taken care of them, but my parents have helped me, of course. This is the first time any of us has had a dog, and at the start we were really scared about how we would manage with it. It finally turned out that he is the sweetest and kindest dog, and he behaves so well, it couldn’t have been more perfect. When he was a puppy he did the obvious things, and we were aware of it, such as biting everything, as his teeth hurt. The problem starts here, when people who buy a dog as a Christmas present or as a Birthday present don’t realize about the consequences. At the beginning you have to be on top of your dog if you want to show him, or her, where they have to do their necessities and it’s vital to be constant about it. Some people give up and others don’t bother at all. After a couple of months, if you haven’t already educated your dog, your house will surely smell really bad and you start to get mad with the dog when really, whose fault is it? If you don’t teach your dog, it won’t respect you. If you don’t walk your dog, it will poo inside.
ReplyDeleteIf you don’t respect animals’ needs, don’t have one.
I totally agree with them, dogs have the same right to live as we all have. I don’t know a lot of this type of things but up to a point its unmoral living them in the streets. I say up to a point because the governments don’t give help to those that have a pet and can’t take care of them anymore. A solution it could be a copy to what happens with humans. Humans that don’t have a place to live or where to it or what to eat go to churches or companies that give a solution for them giving them a place to stay. Why we don’t do the same with animals. I think there are places such as the one I have described but it’s not enough. As Judith said “If you don’t respect animals’ needs, don’t have one” it’s a matter that is not being given the attention it should have. Will you like to be in the street without help, without a way of having food without a place to sleep? Think about it.
ReplyDeletePablo Cubero
It is obviously inhuman to abandon a pet. Any pet is an animal, a living one, and therefore every parent should teach their children to not mistake a pet with a toy. When I was about seven years old, I used to want a dog and I always asked my parents to buy me one. But they didn’t and now I’m glad for it, because, although I wouldn’t have abandoned my dog (obviously), after all I did actually see it more as a toy, idea which I think is very usual in little children.
ReplyDeleteThere are other solutions to abandonment. First, many families would accept a dog for free, it is only a matter o knowing how to find them. Also, as far as I know there are ‘pet orphanages’, which although may not look very attractive are always better than abandonment.
Therefore pets should not be abandoned, since they as well have the right to not suffer from hunger and cold. As well as that, people who think about buying any kind of pet should consider whether they have enough time to look after the pet, or whether their house is big enough to support one.
Ana Adán
I personally think that we are the ones responsible for this inhuman gesture, people aren’t conscious of the responsibility it takes to look after a pet. There’s a great amount of people that think that a pet is just a toy, but it’s not, it’s a living creature that depends on you to live.
ReplyDeleteMost people start taking care of their pet the first days, then, they get fed up or bored and they think that the easiest thing to do is to abandon it. Also, most people buy expensive dogs because they want to show off, they buy expensive dogs because of their well-known breed, when they could perfectly adopt one.
As well as that people buy dogs without knowing the basic cares or the character of the dog, if it is aggressive or noisy or has to do lots of exercise etc. So they buy the dog and then they get surprised when they discover these features, or also a common problem is their size, when they start growing, people realize they are bigger than what they expected and they use it as an excuse to abandon it.
Finally I just wanted to add that this is an immoral and disgraceful attitude and that we have to teach others that this is not the solution, and also if you have a pet and you don’t want more, you could just castrate it in order to avoid these problems.
Carla Lombardo
I totally agree with the comments above. I’ve heard of multiple cases of this happening, and it’s absolutely heart-breaking and frustrating, watching how any human being can cope with the fact of abandonment, as they aren’t abandoning a broken toy or a strapped shirt, they are abandoning an animal, which has also a right to live in proper conditions, don’t you think?
ReplyDeleteI’ve also seen unfortunate people such as homeless or alcoholics who live in the streets carrying a dog with them. For sure they might have feelings for them, as puppies are usually loved with all your kindness and strength, but I normally imagine how they might use them for gaining charity or they may be unaware, for several situations, about the fact that they are actually harming them carrying them around or without feeding them.
Families who desire a dog or a cat, or any kind of pet, should be aware of their basic needs. Is a sheepdog in conditions of living in a crowded city? As Judith mentioned, I’ve also had plenty of pets, from birds to cats, including hamsters, dogs, fish... I consider myself as a person capable of maintaining and caring all types of animals, although I had to live a difficult situation where, for personal motives, my dog had to move to a friend’s cottage in the countryside. A first, it was quite hard and sad, having to leave your dog – which you always end up loving more than anything – in hands which aren’t yours at miles of distance from you; however, after visiting many times, you can sense how free and secure he feels in the country, with clean air, and plenty of dogs to play with. It’s then when you feel keeping your dog in the city it’s rather selfish.
To conclude, I totally feel abandoning an animal is inhuman, and there are many options, mentioned before, such as families or dog pounds. There also exists NGO’s strictly open for various animals.
Susanna Balaguer Serra