A Dog Is For Life, Not Just For Lockdown

First we hear of dog kennels getting full after Christmas.  Now we've got dogs being adopted and promptly returned for silly reasons during lockdown.  It was kinda inevitable that when we were told about needing a second lockdown that people living by themselves would seek out a fur baby for company, but once again there's been lots of puppies being adopted and returned for all kinds of reasons - the new owners couldn't afford it, it was too difficult to train it, or in one ridiculous case it didn't match the colour of the furniture.

Honestly have we forgotten that dogs have needs of their own and what happens when kennels become too full?  Have the stories of dogs needing to be put down because there's nowhere else for them to go not reached the ears of the masses?  Oh I'm sure you think your pure-bred dog is something special, but if it were that special you wouldn't be giving it away!  And no, being a pure-bred does not make it exempt from being put down if it's too old, has any health conditions, or there's nowhere else for it to go.  Where else do you expect dogs to go when kennels are full?  That's right, the crematorium!

Tell me this - would you give your child away or have it executed just because it wet the bed in the middle of the night?  Or drew all over your walls with crayons?  Or became sick and needed a doctor?  Then why would you give up a dog just because it pooped in your living room or chewed your shoes or needed to see a vet?  A dog is like a curious child and needs nurturing and educating, and new owners also need educating to learn how to communicate with their dogs in order for them to grow up to be a happy and successful addition to the family.  They don't suddenly become "good doggy" just by being left to their own devices or being regularly scolded every time they do something wrong (in fact scolding a dog doesn't reinforce good behaviour but only makes them become afraid of you and could result in them becoming aggressive if they feel they're in danger.)  If you can't dedicate the time and energy needed to care for and educate a dog then you shouldn't be looking to adopt one.

And whilst I am a bit niffed that because of the sudden demand for dogs that prices for adopting one have escallated, in the same ways I'm glad they have because this should deter most new dog buyers from buying a fur baby just for it to end up spending time abandoned in a kennel or on the streets.