I've had encounters with two different types of pet owners lately and it has really made me think about how lucky some animals are to own the people that they do.
Tomorrow is the first day of October, and assuming that they are sticking to their plan my sister in law (Marie) and her husband will be breeding their dog within the month. They have owned several pets since I first met Marie 15 years ago. Marie bought a puppy shortly after I met her and owned that dog for several years. Then she decided to move into an apartment that wouldn't allow dogs, and so she gave Mollie to her parents. When she was finally able to have a dog again her parents had become attached to Mollie and so they kept her. After having her child, Marie decided to get another dog and so she adopted a chocolate lab puppy from the shelter. The dog turned out to be more energetic than Marie was prepared to deal with, liked to escape their yard, and the child was afraid of the dog. Marie kept him for a few more months - until he was no longer a cute and easily adoptable puppy - and then returned him to the shelter. This was not a no kill shelter, and I strongly suspect that he didn't manage to find a new home in time. Still feeling that their family was incomplete without a dog, Marie bought a mini daschund who seems to fit in well with the rest of the family. She wasn't satisfied with just one dog, though, and so she also bought a female Golden Retriever. They had a scare last year when they though they'd be expecting Golden/Daschund puppies and after that I thought they'd get smart and have both dogs "altered". Ha! Silly me. Actually, it made them decide that they really wanted Angel (the Golden) to have puppies and so they searched until they found an affordable, intact male Golden for sale. They bought him and if things go "well" Angel and Prince will be parents before too long.
I've seen pictures of both of these dogs. They're cute, but I find it hard to believe that either one is a full blooded Golden. Certainly neither one is a shining example of the breed. I'm sure they are both great pets but neither one of them has genes that should be passed on. And of course Marie hasn't had any genetic testing done on them, so they could both be carriers of all the health problems Goldens are prone to. I'm not opposed to the responsible breeding of purebred animals, but with so many dogs and cats dying in shelters each day I think it's horrible to breed a dog just so your pet can have puppies. And I wonder what will happen to Angel and Prince after the cute new puppies arrive. . . I'm afraid that they'll either end up in a shelter (having been replaced by a puppy or two) or that they'll become their own little puppy mill, cranking out puppies as long as they can.
Marie and her husband aren't abusive pet owners, but they aren't good pet owners, either. At best they are neglectful. Mostly they are irresponsible. They see pets as disposable, and are far more likely to abandon a pet to a shelter than they are to make any significant changes in their lives in order to accommodate the pets. If their dog escapes the yard repeatedly they'll take it to a shelter rather than getting a better fence (or keeping the dog inside, or in the garage, or a pen. . .). If the dog scares their child and acts too wild they will wash their hands of it rather than investing in obedience training. If the dog gets sick they'll have him put down rather than "wasting money" on potentially expensive treatments - but then they'll go buy a new motorcycle with the money they saved by not paying for treatment. A pet might be better off with them than in a shelter, but I cringe when they adopt a young animal because I know that it's chances of finding a new home will not be good by the time Marie's family tires of it and returns it to the shelter.
On the other end of the spectrum are Mr and Mrs O. They are a very nice couple who lost their cat to kidney failure last weekend. After losing my Newton to kidney failure a couple of years ago, I know how much of a shock that can be. A cat can be healthy one day and on death's door the next day. I felt terrible for Mr and Mrs O when I heard about their cat. Then I found out that the cat was already older when they adopted her. They are good pet owners. They love their pets and they give them a good home. They chose this cat knowing they were likely to have her for fewer years than they might have a younger cat, but they wanted to give her a chance to find a loving home anyway. I wish I could be like them. I remember how hard it was to lose Newton, and to lose my dog Marc a couple of years before that, and I am afraid to adopt an older pet. I want to, but it scares me - what if I get too attached and then it dies? Of course you run that risk even with younger animals, but it seems so much more real with the older ones. And when we see those older pets at the adoption fairs I feel so torn. . . they look so sad. They need love, too. But it's such a risk for an owner to fall in love with an older pet knowing that your years with them are likely more limited than your years with a puppy or kitten might be. Especially when you are an owner like Mr and Mrs O, or like Cardorn and I. Our pets are a part of our family. They aren't disposable. They are ours for life, however long that might be. And it hurts so much when we lose them. I want to be the kind of person who can rescue an older pet and give it a loving forever home for the rest of it's life. Hopefully I will be willing to take a risk like that the next time we decide to welcome a new pet into our family.
These days, with so many unloved and unwanted pets filling the shelters, I guess even a temporary home is better than the alternative. But I can't help but think that while an animal might be lucky to find any home (even one with someone like Marie), they are even luckier that there are people out there waiting to give them a second chance. An animal might be lucky to find an owner like Marie, but the really lucky ones have people like Mr and Mrs O waiting to give them loving homes when they are abandoned again.
