I must vent for a minute. I completely understand if you get into a tight situation and being able to afford things becomes difficult. I understand that sometimes people have to cut back and that animals are technically a "luxury" to have. BUT they should be the LAST thing you get rid of and for those who truly LOVE their pets and think of them as breathing creatures with feelings it always is that last thing they have to get rid of.
The reason I am saying this is because twice now I have had a dog returned simply because of MONEY! Not because the people have fallen on hard times simply because they have decided the dog isn't worth the money it cost to have it. And what is even more funny is that they can't admit that to me them always make up some crazy story about how horrible the dog is and make me think maybe this dog isn't adoptable.
Example #1. Last year 2009 my Senior Rep and foster home adopted out this cute little JRT while I was gone on my honeymoon.. so July 2009. In November the family contacted me saying they couldn't keep the dog any more. He HATED his crate and would never go in it, he was afraid of ANYONE coming into their home and he would hide under the table and bark at them and I think they said he pottied in the house if they didn't crate him. Oh and they said he HATED to go outside.
When they returned the dog they brought all his stuff including his crate. I was standing on my porch talking to them about all the issues with the dog and just feeling HORRIBLE that the people were so upset and the dog didn't work out for them. I always say to myself...what could we have done better to prevent the dog from coming back and being bounced around. I always feel that when a dog comes back I failed.
Anyway, as we are standing there talking the dog is walking around and he goes into his create and lays down. REALLY??? He hates his crate. Their back were turned to the dog when he did that and I interrupted the guy as he was telling me how horrible of a dog this was and pointed at the dog laying in his crate. The guy said "HE HAS NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE!!" Oh really??!!
Let's just say over the next month of having the dog live in my house I found nothing to be true they told me. The dog is now VERY HAPPY living with the nicest couple ever and 3 other JRTs.
When the couple left, I started going through all the paper work they left me for the dog. Then I found it... the receipt for the dog boarding kennel. $300! And it was dated just the week before.
Ok so let's tell the TRUTH about why you are returning the dog. You took a vacation for a week, boarded the dog and when you went to pick him up you had NO idea dog boarding was so expensive. You were going away again over Christmas and didn't feel like spending that kind of money again. And I do know they were going away for Christmas because they told me!
Well the same thing just happened again. A family adopted a dog in 2006 and just returned the dog. They sent ALL the vet paper work they had for the dog.... which was the records I gave them in 2006, one vet bill for a rabies in 2009.. I think they only got this b/c they were moving and now vet records for $400 to update the dog on everything she needed because she hadn't been to the vet in so long and plus flea / heartworm prevention for 3 months.
Funny how the dog is great, the dog is wonderful and then a big bill comes and the dog has got to go. The people that just returned the dog, contacted me 1 month after the $400 vet bill. I am sure what happened is the husband saw the credit card statement and lost his lid!
Just so funny how the dog is HORRIBLE for the past month and that is why they have to get rid of her. BUT for the last 4 years she has been PERFECT!
Seriously, just tell me the truth. That way at least I can just be mad your a jerk instead of beating myself up over the fact I failed.
2 comments:
I hear ya Amy!
As much as I threaten Roxy that I'm going to take her back to the farm and leave her, I don't think I ever could. While she may be very aggravating from time to time, her good traits outweigh some of her not so lovely traits. Financially this hasn't been our greatest year, me being out of work and all, but never did I once think about bringing one of my "kids" back to you because they were too expensive to keep! (And Art had that costly surgery to remove that tumor this year!) People conveniently forget that dogs are a lifetime commitment!
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