I am going to need a HUGE yard

That's incredibly judgmental.  People have lives, and lives tend to, you know, change sometimes.  Sometimes people have issues in their lives--like maybe they have to move to a smaller place and can't afford to keep their pet.  Honestly, if I were in that situation, I'd rather give my dog away to someone whom I can judge as being a good home than give him a bad home with me if I can't afford to properly care for him.  People may lose jobs, they may get a divorce--there are so many different parts of life that contribute to needing to "get rid of" your pet.  There are a good number of people who need new homes for their animals and it's not because they just get bored or tired of the animal(s).

I can see why someone would rather give their dog to a place where they get to judge his new parents, rather than sell him to someone else or give him to a shelter where they don't get a say in where he goes.

Everyone has their own story, heartache, etc., so before generalizing about these people who are unreasonable and so horrible in your mind, please keep that in mind.

Why wait until you get another house and have more room?  You CAN do something right now!  In the Chicago area where I live there is this one individual name Liz that goes through each of the area's papers and websites looking for people that want to give their pets away for free.  When she spots one, she calls and the first thing she does is educate them as to why it is a bad idea to give a dog away for free.  Liz is so sweet and non confrontational and she does not lecture.  She encourages them to attach a dollar fee to the adoption, minimal enough to make it not economical for dog fighter, etc to get the dog.  Then she offers to help place the dog by using her email network that she built over years.  She also screen applicants.  What a great way to be involved in dog rescue.

That's incredibly judgmental.  People have lives, and lives tend to, you know, change sometimes.  Sometimes people have issues in their lives--like maybe they have to move to a smaller place and can't afford to keep their pet.  Honestly, if I were in that situation, I'd rather give my dog away to someone whom I can judge as being a good home than give him a bad home with me if I can't afford to properly care for him.  People may lose jobs, they may get a divorce--there are so many different parts of life that contribute to needing to "get rid of" your pet.  There are a good number of people who need new homes for their animals and it's not because they just get bored or tired of the animal(s).

I can see why someone would rather give their dog to a place where they get to judge his new parents, rather than sell him to someone else or give him to a shelter where they don't get a say in where he goes.

Everyone has their own story, heartache, etc., so before generalizing about these people who are unreasonable and so horrible in your mind, please keep that in mind.

 
I don't find it judgmental at all. 9 out of 10 times people have stupid excuses for giving up their pet.  Examples:
 
1) We no longer have time ----should of thought of that
2) Our child has alergies-----You couldn't have found that out before?
3) She has gotten too big for our home? --- should ahve picked the right breed.
 
If my husband lost his job we could not give away one of the kids, so why would I get rid of the dog? She cost less.
 
Moving to an appartment? Find one that allows animals. Many laws state it is against the law for a landlord to refuse pets.
 
No I would NEVER think it's okay to post a "free" pet give away. It gives somone who many not have the money to take the dog to the vet to get  free dog. That is a very bad idea.  Many times I see Free puppies, dog, kittens. For one, labs easily get their hands on these animals for testing. That is the kind of ad they look for.
 
 
For two, when it is free, it's quicker for people to jump on impulse to get it because it was free, then later they realize the big responsibility and how the pet was not so free and they get rid of it.
 
I can understand if the owner has passed away, and family needs to find a home because they can't take it. But I know for darn sure wether, it's a divorce, being poor, or having to move. I will find a way to keep my pets.

I don't find it judgmental at all. 9 out of 10 times people have stupid excuses for giving up their pet.  Examples:

1) We no longer have time ----should of thought of that
2) Our child has alergies-----You couldn't have found that out before?
3) She has gotten too big for our home? --- should ahve picked the right breed.

If my husband lost his job we could not give away one of the kids, so why would I get rid of the dog? She cost less.

Moving to an appartment? Find one that allows animals. Many laws state it is against the law for a landlord to refuse pets.

No I would NEVER think it's okay to post a "free" pet give away. It gives somone who many not have the money to take the dog to the vet to get  free dog. That is a very bad idea.  Many times I see Free puppies, dog, kittens. For one, labs easily get their hands on these animals for testing. That is the kind of ad they look for.


For two, when it is free, it's quicker for people to jump on impulse to get it because it was free, then later they realize the big responsibility and how the pet was not so free and they get rid of it.

I can understand if the owner has passed away, and family needs to find a home because they can't take it. But I know for darn sure wether, it's a divorce, being poor, or having to move. I will find a way to keep my pets.

1. They no longer have time.  Have you ever thought of why?  Maybe their parents became ill and they have to take care of them.  Things in life change.  You never know what cards are going to be thrown at you.  Would you rather the animal stay in the place where there's no physical time for it?

2. People can develop allergies over time.  They're not always there at birth.

I agree that "too big" is not a good reason and they should've thought of it beforehand.  HOWEVER, wouldn't you rather the dog eventually get a good home where there is more room for it than living all of its life cooped up because people just didn't want to give it away?

I'm not advocating people just jumping to get a new animal, however, if the person is screening who it would be going to, then  I can see why they wouldn't charge.  Honestly, I probably wouldn't if I had to give up Teddy for some reason, and I would sure as hell make sure he got a good home.

Also, I'm glad to hear that your life is perfect and doesn't change, however not everyone gets that luxury in life.  You may think I'm a horrible person because I would rather give up my dog than have him live in a bad sitation with me if I managed to fall into a situation where I could no longer adequately care for him, but I also think it's selfish of you to want to keep your animal even if you can't give it the home it deserves.

Lastly, that law that you stated doesn't make any sense.  Landlords own the property--they have the right to state what can and cannot be there.  Animals are not children or people, so that kind of "discrimination" does not apply.  Maybe these laws do exist, I don't know, but they definitely don't make any sense if they do.

Maybe you're not understanding, they are posting an ad in the paper. They do not know who is going to get their dog. And I'm sure most of them don't care as long as the dog is gone.
 
Sure I'd like to see that the animal is better off than it was. But you don't know the person. I don't care if yoou think they are great people, you don't know them. They could put on a great show, then bring the dog home and never play, walk, make vet trips. You have no idea. Sure I would see giving the dog to a friend or family member, as long as you know what they will be like, but not to a stranger. Even the HS has no idea what the new owner will be like and they screen you for sometimes up to 2 weeks. It's almost as hard as adopting a child in some places.
 
No my life is far from perfect. I spend more than I should a month on animal food. But, my dog was abandond, my cat was on her way to the shelter,  some rabbits were matted and starving,  one duck was attaked by a dog in my MIL's yard. Hamster was over bred and store was giving it away. I have taken in many animals. Just last month, I had a litter of kittens fixed up and placed in homes. All at my expense. I do not have the money for it, but I find it. If I had to sell, everything I owned to keep my pets I would. My dog is like my daughter, if I can afford to feed my children I can afford to feed her.
 
I'm not saying there have been some reasonable excuses, but it would have to be a dam good one.

Lastly, that law that you stated doesn't make any sense.  Landlords own the property--they have the right to state what can and cannot be there.  Animals are not children or people, so that kind of "discrimination" does not apply.  Maybe these laws do exist, I don't know, but they definitely don't make any sense if they do.

 
I didn't make the law. Look in your areas Landlord and tenant act, it could be there. These are the things people need to know, and unfortunetly the landlord says no pets, but in all actuality he can not.  Here it is from the Ontario Rental Tribunal:
 
 
 
 
PETS AND "NO PETS CLAUSES":
Q6: The landlord says I must either move out or get rid of my pet; Do I?
A6: Only if the pet is dangerous, causes allergic reactions or causes problems for other tenants or the landlord, must you get rid of your pet or consider moving elsewhere.
Even if you signed a lease with a "no pets" clause, if the pet is not a problem for anybody they can not enforce it; such clauses are invalid under the law.
You do not have to move or get rid of the pet unless the Tribunal issues a written order to do so.

 

You may not know the people personally, but some people are actually pretty good judges of character. The same mentality can be applied to shelters. Sure, some people can fool you, but there are good people out there who adopt from shelters--I meet them every day at the dog park, and I see so many of them on this website.  You may not know the person, but I'd rather trust my judge of someone's character than someone I don't know at a shelter's judge of character.  To me it's like whisper down the lane.

"And I'm sure most of them don't care as long as the dog is gone."

That's an assumption.  A very hurtful assumption to many people.  In some cases it may be true, but in others its not.  People are human, they err, but more often than not they're doing what they think is best.

Since you have had such hardships (and I'm sorry to hear that you have), you should understand that lives can vary so much.  You can scrape by, but not everyone can.  Just because your view of what's "right" is different from other peoples' doesn't mean you should play judge of what is moral and/or ethical.

Also, that law is just bizarre.  Definitely nothing like that around here, and Louisiana is quite backwards.

I'm thinking the "laws" about refusing pets are area-specific.  Here, I think the landlord can refuse UNLESS it's a pet that a handicapped person has.  But, that's interesting since we're thinking of moving and would love to find places that allow pets easier.  I will try to look into it.

There are too many pets in shelters. Too many pet ads in the paper. Why? because people are irresponsible. They didn't all get there because the owner lost their job, or had to move. There are great owners out there but there are still bad ones. If everyone was responsible their would not be an overpopulation of homeless animals. Simple.

I think the issue here is people who give their animals away because they are just possessions. If something comes up, they are disposable. And I think that's what Angel has a problem with. Because that is not an appropriate way to treat an animal. When these people can no longer care for their pet, they give them away for free in the paper. This opens up the opportunity for testing labs and dog fighters to get ahold of them.
 
IMO, Angel's intentions are wonderful. I would love to be able to do something like that someday too. She's just expressing her desire to help animals who have been abandoned by their owners for whatever reason.

ORIGINAL: angeltrudelle

There are too many pets in shelters. Too many pet ads in the paper. Why? because people are irresponsible. They didn't all get there because the owner lost their job, or had to move. There are great owners out there but there are still bad ones. If everyone was responsible their would not be an overpopulation of homeless animals. Simple.

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Did I say that? I'm sorry but I think you are living in a fairytail land where everything is perfect and every dog is loved and well taken care of, and no owner could possibly give their dog away without a good reason. You have been disagreeing with me the whole time. Do me a favor.... go to [linkhttp://www.petfinder.com]www.petfinder.com[/link]   go to the classified ads for your area, call for some of those pets that are being offered and ask questions, ask why the pet needs a home. Go to your local shelter, ask why those pets have been there.

Wake up, life isn't all pretty and pink.

So anyhoo.... I called for one of the dogs in the paper and my Aunt is interested, so we are going to meet the people and the dog this weekend. I'm really bad for pushing family into takin in animals. Hee-Hee. So we are going to meet Suzie, a black lab who is a year old this weekend. She has been fixed an up to date on all shots, so I'm excited. I hope my aunt likes her.

And not everyone is a horrible, deceitful, irresponsible person.  And guess what?  There are a lot of animals in shelters, yes, but there are nearly 300 million people in the US alone too.  Some people aren't nice or thoughtful people, but some are, and they're not necessarily wrong or bad people because they don't or can't live like you do--so stop assuming you're the be all and end all.

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And yeah, I know at this point I probably sound like someone who is violently opposed to the death penalty, but oh well, such is life.