put that down, FlickrDid you know that 34.2 percent of people who give up their pets have had them for over two years? Clearly, these folks didn't give up their furry family member at the first sign of inconvenience--which, lets be honest, happens the first day you bring a pet home. But due to changes in housing, the potentially high costs of pet-owning, behavior problems, and a host of other reasons, many animal adoptions don't quite take.
That's why this March, Petfinder.com is introducing their new FurKeeps program. (Though you can go online now and preview some of the features.) Prospective pet parents can go the section "Starting Your Adoption Right" which features an adoption checklist as well as an explanation about what to expect in the first 30 days with your new pet. Current pet parents will be able ask pet professionals their questions about animal care, health, and behavior in a free "Ask the Experts" online forum. The FurKeeps Web site also includes resources addressing the most common reasons people give up their pets. From tips on finding animal-friendly housing (36.4 percent relinquish their pets because of a move) to pet training tips (17.9 percent of pets are given up because of behavioral problems), the site aims to help you plan ahead. As the site says, "Part of being a great pet parent is planning for the long haul. Your adoptive pet could be with you for a very long time, and even pet parents who have the best intentions at the time of adoption run into problems sometimes. This is nothing to be ashamed of."
In other words, pets can be a pain. We all love them, but it is common for there to be tough times with furry family members and its good to remember that there are resources to help.
We especially like the super-practical Adoption Checklist. Sure, you've got a cute cat bed and an adorable name all picked out, but have you thought about what will happen to the kitty when you go on vacation? The checklist reminds potential animal adopters to consider what they actually want out of a new pet, what they have to offer an animal companion, the kind of time and money that will need to spent, and what essentials will need to be purchased. The site also includes guides to the first 30 days with a new cat or dog.
So by all means, fall in love with a new pet. Just make sure it's a relationship to which you can commit, and not just fluffy infatuation.
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Want to know what makes me sick?? When I go to PetsMart and see all those abandoned cats there and the lame reasons their owners dumped them.
Here's the lamest one of all: my family is moving and couldn't take me with them. WTF???????? Are you people serious??
If the terrorist group PETA has their way no one in the U.S. will be able to own a pet. Let's hope it never comes to this. Owners of any pets who abandon them for shallow reasons like this shouldn't be allowed to have a pet. You should be ashamed of yourselves. All three of my cats were strays dumped by cold, uncaring people who shouldn't have had them in the first place. You are the very same people who say you would never own a fur coat yet you treat your beloved pet like a piece of trash that is easily thrown out.
I agree with you 100%. I just wrote an article stating the same issue. Would you leave a your kid behind, because you are moving??? Your pet is an extension of your family and when I hear people are getting rid of a pet because they are moving
it just pisses me off. Get a house or apartment that allows pets. Give me a break.
I live in the country so people just think it is cool to dump their pets in front of my place, oh they love pets, they will take care of them. They don't care about the speed limit in front of my house which is 45, and you can bet people drive 50-55. They should never have got a pet in the first place. When it is inconvenient they just discard like the trash. Some people are just heartless.