Each year there are literally thousands of dogs that are abandoned or relinquished to animal shelters and dog rescues. The reasons people give for giving up their faithful companion varies but these reasons tend to fall into two distinct categories. These categories include owner irresponsibility and unforeseen circumstances.
Owner irresponsibility
More dogs are relinquished due to owner irresponsibility than for any other reason. Let s look at how owner irresponsibility leads to the dog s relinquishment.
Impulsive Adoption
Too many times a person will see a cute little puppy and fall in love with this little bundle of fur never taking into consideration of the costs of adopting an animal. There is food, toys, vet bills, licenses, and a whole host of other things the owner is not prepared to pay for. When he realizes that owning a pet is not cheap, he simply chooses to give it up.
Indiscriminate Breeding
Other irresponsible owners will indiscriminately breed their dog either by design or by neglecting to have their dog spayed or neutered. In some cases, an owner might think they would like a new pup so they breed their dog never considering what they are going to do with the rest of the litter. When they are unable to find homes for these pups, they simply take them to the pound, making it some other person s responsibility to find homes for them.
Lack of Proper Training
Many owners give up their dogs sighting bad behaviors on the dog s part such as nipping, digging, and chewing. Almost all negative behaviors in dogs is brought about because the owner did not give the dog the attention and training it needed.
In each and every case where a dog has been relinquished due to the owner s irresponsibility, the relinquishment could have been avoided by the owner taking the time to think, to plan, or simply to treat the dog as the companion and friend that it so badly wants to be.
However, there are cases when an owner cannot help relinquishing their dog. In these cases, the separation is painful for both the dog and the owner.
Unforeseeable Circumstances
Sometimes, an unforeseeable circumstance arises that makes it impossible for an owner to keep his dog no matter how attached he is to his pet and how much he wants to keep him. Illness may make an owner physically unable to continue to care for a dog forcing him to give up his pet.
During the recent economic crisis, many dogs were given up simply because their owners had lost their jobs and homes and wanted their dogs to have a better life than they could now give them. Others had to move from homes they owned to rentals that did not allow pets.
In most cases when the circumstances are unforeseen, the owner makes the heartbreaking decision to relinquish his dog wanting what is best for his pet, not his own selfish self interests. In these cases, the owner s actions are to be applauded rather than condemned.
For the dogs involved, whether the relinquishment is due to the choice of the owner, or the circumstances of a given situation the dog is not at fault and deserves a second chance at finding a forever home.
Author Resource:
This article was written by Kelly Marshall of http://www.ohmydogsupplies.com - your online dog store, offering crazy deals on cute dog leashes and matching collars sets.