Why So Many Dogs End Up At A Shelter Or The Pound

Don't Make The Mistake Of Spur Of The Moment To adopt A Dog!

The statistics are staggering. Annually the number of dogs turned in to Rescue Shelters or the Town Pound boggle the mind. Often the reasons given by owner surrenders indicate one or more of the following:

1. We didn't realize how big the dog would get.
2. We couldn't train him to behave properly
3. The puppy peed in the house when we were gone
4. We're moving and the new landlord doesn't allow pets
5. Lost our jobs and can't afford to keep the pup any longer

Perhaps the only understandable reasons are numbers 4 and five. Even there, however, it begs the question of why the new owner of a puppy had no idea of a probable or potential move to another home. Of course, in today's horrible economic climate, job loss is nobody's fault.

But, let's backtrack for a moment. Anyone who buys a puppy on impulse, without knowing anything about the breed's history, size, or personality is simply compounding a disasterous ending in the making. A dog is not, nor should it be, a disposable item like an obsolete toaster oven, to be tossed aside with little thought of the consequence.

As for the dog not behaving properly, well, that is something an owner needs to address promptly. Knowing little or nothing about how to train a puppy is understandable, but easily overcome through numerous sources of helpful advice. Countless dog training books, as well as internet ebooks are available, to aid the new owner about how to teach proper behaviour. No excuses here.

Once stripped of all the feeble copouts for turning in a dog or puppy to a shelter or pound, the owner must be recognized and chastised as an unthinking, uncaring or simply dumb member of society

Doubtless, the greatest cause of unhappy owners giving up on their best friends and turning them in to shelters is an unforgivable failure to do the homework necessary to making an informed decision. That neglect directly contributes to so many innocent puppies and dogs that should have had long, happy and useful lives being euthanized every year.

If you, as a potential, or new, puppy or adult dog owner, don't wish to add to these shameful statistics, please do the preliminary exploration needed for responsible dog ownership.