Adopt ONLY If You are Prepared To Make a Commitment.

Normally I don't write or post things like this, but I figure since it's my page, I should be allowed to express my thoughts once in a while. This one is about people who adopt dogs. Most of the ones who want to adopt a dog are great people. And then there are those others, the ones I just don't understand.

They say they want to adopt a dog. They come into the shelter, pick out the dog they want and take their new family member home. And then, what do you think happens? They bring him back to the shelter the next day because he barked, whined, wouldn't listen, etc. They say there’s something wrong with him and they’re not going to be able to keep him. Well, there's nothing wrong with the dog. There's something wrong with YOU. Adopt if, and only if, you're prepared to make a commitment for the rest of the dog's life and take the good with the bad. Start by spending time with the dog at the shelter. A quick 5 or 10 minute visit with the dog does NOT qualify as spending time. This is a life. It’s a life who will depend on you for it’s needs and very survival. This is NOT a pair of jeans you're picking out!

It simply amazes me how many dogs end up being returned to area shelters, like they are nothing more than an article of clothing. It's actually pretty sickening, if you think about it. In some cases, dogs who have been with the family for 6 months or even longer are returned because "she started pulling when I walk her." Really? You should try to walk my Lab (Roxy) who loves to pull and loves to yank hard on her leash when she sees a bunny or squirrel. Sometimes she walks perfectly and other times she's as hyper as she can get, but we have never thought of giving her up.

My other dog (Duncan) was badly abused (mostly likely by a male) and scared of his shadow when we got him 3 years ago. He wouldn't get in a car and had to be lifted up to the seat. He wouldn't come into the house because he wouldn't walk up or down stairs. He didn’t know how. Again, we carried him. He would run from me whenever he saw me (4 years later and once in a while he still does). The very first thing he did when he got into our house was to pee on a nice trunk we had in our front room. We just cleaned it up and carried him outside. We've wondered many times over the past few years that we’ve had him, what if someone else had adopted him....would he have been returned over and over again because he wasn't the perfect dog that someone thought he should be from day 1?

There are so many of my friends who have dogs they've rescued and/or adopted and these dogs aren't the perfect dog either. They've never thought of giving their family member up. They just take the good with the bad and try to make things better. Sometimes it takes a lot of work, and sometimes it takes a lot of money. For some, it takes both time and money, but that dog is counting on them and they’ve made a commitment to him/her for life.

So, if you’re thinking of adopting a dog, then ask yourself whether or not you are prepared to commit to taking care of this new life, that will depend on you for everything. If you can't be 110% sure that the answer is yes, then I would suggest you go to a local toy store and pick yourself up a stuffed dog. At least you won't have to worry about taking care of it. You won’t have to worry about feeding it, playing with it or whether or not it may have an accident in the house. You won’t have to worry about taking your time or money to get it properly trained. It can sit there and look cute until you get bored with it and decide you don’t want it any longer. Then you can throw it in the trash or just give it away. One thing you won’t end up doing is bringing it to an already over-crowded animal shelter and leaving it there for them to “hopefully” find a home and family that will love it.

To some, I’m sure this sounds pretty harsh, but if it keeps even one dog from being bounced back and forth in and out of a shelter, then I can live with being harsh.