Ok, so I posted this email the other day but thought I should post my reply to her, her reply to me... guilty people always respond so bitchy.. lol
Original email to me:
Good Morning,
We are in need of help with our 12 year old Jack Russell. She is a sweet, sweet dog; however, as she has aged she has become less and less patient with our three young children. She has never bitten them, she is just very anxious around them. She has also lost vision in her left eye. We do not know what to do with her and we have really tried to find an alternate home for her without luck. Can you help us? Do you have room in your rescue for Lucy? She loves to be loved and cuddled. She loves to sleep in your bed. She is abnormally calm yet content.
Please let me know if you can help us. If you can not, please also let me know what else I can do, if you don't mind.
Thank you for your time,
My Reply:
Your email honestly made me want to cry. Stop and think about what you are asking... a 12 year old do that I am sure you have had since she was a puppy who is now blind in one eye and you want to up root her from everything she has ever known. I have a 4 month and a 6 month old puppy who I can't find homes for, what do you think the chances of a 12 year old blind in one eye dog's chance is to find a new home? I am not saying this to be mean, I am saying this to get you to stop and think. Have you thought of some alternatives? For example teaching your children to not bother the dog? Putting up a baby gate so Lucy can have 1/2 the house and the kids can have 1/2 the house? If you are having behavior issues with Lucy, have you thought about taking her to the vet to make sure something isn't wrong? Maybe after taking her to the vet and finding that there isn't anything wrong you could speak to a behavior trainer and see if there is something you can do for or with Lucy to help her not be more "patient"?
You have to understand that a dog of Lucy's age is near impossible to place. Again not to be mean but she has maybe if your lucky another 5 years on this Earth and people who are looking for a dog aren't looking for a dog that they will only have a short time. They are looking for a friend, a companion for longer then that. Not to mention the expense that goes along with an older dog as their health fades. Heck there are horrible people out there that dump their dogs at the kill shelter (aka county dog pound) as soon as the vet bills get "too much". We have taken in several senior dogs this year and although they had health issues when we took them in they were taken care of properly and now doing just fine.
I do want to warn you that if you do choose to take her to a shelter 99% chance she will end up being killed at the shelter, dieing alone and scared because #1 she is an owner surrender and #2 she is older and no one is going to adopt her.
If for some MIRACLE of a chance she gets out of the shelter either through a rescue (which all of us are full so I wouldn't count on it) or someone adopts her, the chances of her living her life happy are slim. A dog that old confuses easily, maybe become aggressive because they are confused, have been taken from the only thing / people they have known their entire lives and their routine is then changed. Older dogs do not do well with drastic change. My fear for her would be that she would end up abused for negative behavior that could just be due to her age and being confused.
Again this email is not meant to upset you, I know that sometimes you feel there is no way out of a situation and this sounds like an easy solution but really you need to think about the dog and what is best for her. I really really hope you choose to find a solution where you get to keep your dog that you love and that she gets to stay with the family she has known her entire life.
Good luck to you and Lucy will be in my prayers.
Her reply:
You are right, Amy, no one will want our Lucy. The "Kill Shelter, aka county dog pound" is the best option for her.
Thank you for your time and your honest concern.
Guilty people ALWAYS respond in this way... angrily and try to put their guilt on me. Hey it is her dog if she wants it to die in a shelter's gas chamber alone and scared then once dead her lifeless body dumped in a dumpster and taken to the landfill. THAT IS TOTALLY ON HER!
I really hope her 3 kids don't discard her as when she becomes older and no longer patient!
11 comments:
GRAHH! Seriously? If the dog is having that kind of issue, and it's such a problem, then the LEAST these people can do is take her on her last drive and have her needled at the vet while they hold her and her life fades away. Not that I agree with euthanizing a dog for such minor issues, but it's way kinder than what will happen if they give/adopt out/turn in the dog.
I agree with Original_Wacky.
And it kills me how she says "our Lucy"...................
I always tell my kids that you should treat an older animal like you would treat an older person...with kindness and dignity. Getting old does not mean that the person or animal becomes a pain in the you-know-what. Rather, they become special, because their time on this earth is short. My old chihuahua gets all the love and attention that a senior deserves. She has a special place on the couch and everyone that lives in this house knows to just let her be. If she wants some attention, she'll let us know. She gave us, her family, her best doggie years, and now we owe it to her to make sure that her "Golden Years" are comfortable, safe, and secure. Shame on that woman.
Please reply back and suggest she take her to her vet to go to heaven instead of the kill shelter.
I am kind of stunned to read this. I am a relatively new dog owner--I rescued my sweet Cupid two years ago. He is nearly four now. I cannot imagine saying "The Kill Shelter, aka county dog pound is the best option."
Not now, not when he's twelve, not EVER.
She's just going to DUMP a dog she describes as loving to love and be loved? Calm and content? Unbelievable.
my cats, rags and pippin, were 14 and 11 when my first child was born. Rags was a ripe and bitchy 19 when my youngest and fourth came along- she despised the kids and they learned - and she learned - to tolerate each other (and sometimes when not to). The kids learned invaluable lessons - how to treat and elderly crotchety princess cat with respect, gentleness and love and the cats learned to tolerate rambunctious kids. Rags and Kealin (the youngest) were inseparable from the time she was born - slept in her crib, snuggled in her carriage on walks and her frail, purring body was draped around kealin's neck from the time she walked ... rags died when kealin was 4 but kealin (now 18) continues to have an abiding love and respect for all animals... and has never forgotten her first cat.
that woman is a bitch - sorry, but she is - and yes, the LEAST she could do is see her little dog off in arms which pretend to love her.
I suppose you could throw the hot potato of guilt back on her and say" I hope your kids don't feel the same way about you when you are old, infirm, and crotchety" It might help to put the issue in perspective that way
My response to her was "If that is what you feel is best for Lucy, that is on you."
Guilty people ALWAYS respond in some nasty way like this. What they want me to do is get all emotional and say I will take the dog. Well news flash, I see a lot of horrible things and honestly they will not get the reaction they are looking for from me. With dog rescue you if you act on emotions you aren't going to be helping anyone. TRUST ME it is hard not to do but you have to
Oh and funny thing is I have her address... I know where she lives and works. LOL Amazing what you can find on the internet :-)
I pray that all the dogs, cats, bunnies, I mean all animals in the shelter to find a real home... When I adopted my two bunnies I feel the joy of having a new family to give them love and proper care. Yes that is what I've learned from the shelter. Adoption is not just providing those rabbit hutches, and food. It is more of the love and care that makes them belong to the family.
Hi Im in similar position we have dog which is 13 years old and she is not tolerable of our children. She is also sweet dog who is loosing her hearing, has bad hips and possible bowels. But she is lively and doesnt look like dog to put down. All shelters want be able to adopt her but they say this is impossible. So a dog who looks happy, eating , walking, and she loves attention. How do you put her down. There is nothing or no one that will help. I dont want to put her in shelter but shes not good to stay here. What to do?
Anonymous -
I know many people who keep their dog separated from their children, from their cat, from their other dog because the dog doesn't get along with kid/cat/other dog. It is hard but they know the fate for their dog is not good.
Yes, it would be easier to re home but only on you. The dog may suffer and will defiantly be confused being as old as he/she is.
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