Why some people just shouldn't have pets....

[Eyerish]

A co-worker is moving from a 2 story house to a 1 story townhome in the next few weeks. She started talking about her animals and what she'll do with them and she said, "We're going to bring the small dog with us, but the big one...she's 15 and might have arthritis, so we'll probably just put her down."

Just like that. No thought of a shelter or trying to get her adopted to someone else. If the dog is inconvenient...just kill them.

I am soooo angry I am shaking.....:mad: :grr:

[LynneSin]

1. If the dog is 15 and in severe pain it might be the best option

it's not like they're torturing the animal. Fifteen is pretty old in dog years. I only defend this because my best friend put her dog down at age 11 because the arthritis was so bad there was little else they could do to keep their beloved pet out of pain.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

2. The key words were "might have arthritis"

"Might have" is a shitty reason to kill a dog.

My parents lab has really bad arthitis and can barely get around, but she's always wagging her tail and has a good appetite. She's in pain, but she seems happy.

[LynneSin]

6. I read the post and I would think that they would get to the vet first before they decide

and I will not hold judgement against anyone on their decision when it comes to something like this. It's not something easy to decide. But based on what one random poster says I'm not going to hold judgement against this family. Just because the family said they 'might have to' put the dog down doesn't given any explanation as to why they came to that decision. I have no clue of the condition of the dog, how the dog managed to live 15 years or their record with the vet. So I'm just to assume that one poster has given us his/her version of the facts and that's the truth?

[Eyerish]

5. I understand what you are saying...

if a dog is in tremendous pain and is suffering, it really can be the right thing to do. But, she didn't even really know if the dog had it. It sounded like she was making rationalizations as to why it would be ok to put the dog down. From what I got out of the rest of the conversation, she just didn't want to deal with a big dog anymore.

If aren't willing to love and take care of the animal through out its life, then you shouldn't make the commitment in the first place.

[LynneSin]

8. So from your random observation for 5 minutes you can make that judgement

I'm sure there is more to it then what you have posted. I'm not trying to be rude but I'm not also jumping on the "oh the humanity of this random conversation someone posts about animals to get empathy" threads either.

I'm just saying that until we've walked in the shoes of the person who made that comment and know the history of the dog - then how can any of us judge?

[Eyerish]

9. It not like I passed by two strangers having a conversation...

I was engaged in the conversation with this person. She told me exactly what I wrote here.
If you don't want to believe that's your perogative.

I might be new around here, but I'm not the kind of person to start "oh the humanity of this random conversation someone posts about animals to get empathy" threads.

Just felt the need to vent. From what I've seen DU is usually a good place to do that.

[LynneSin]

10. Has nothing to do with how new you are here

Even with you having more knowledge then the rest of us there is still much that you and the rest of us don't know about this animal.

As for adoption, you suggest putting the animal in a shelter (if they can find a no-kill rescue) where the dog will probably live it's remaining years 'institutionalized' because no one wants to adopt it? Meanwhile the animal is still alive and still remembers being in a home where it had a family and wondering why they didn't want him/her anymore. I find that way crueler than euthensia. Of course the best choice, if the dog is not in severe pain, is to just keep the animal.

What to do with our elderly pets is a difficult decision for any of us and for us to sit on our high horse being lil 'Bill Frist' making medical decisions based on a random post is well, just not right.

I'm not saying I agree with what they are doing or disagree. I'm just saying in a court of law this one would be tossed out for severe lack of evidence.

[Eyerish]

12. There are quite a few no-kill shelters in my area...

and I plan on letting her know about them. This woman is not too bright and I don't even think she knows about no-kill shelters.

"Lil bill frists?!" That is seriously a ridiculous comment and I don't even know where to go with that. This is a message board. Almost all comments are made in regards to random posts by people we don't necessarily know. Why is this topic any different?

Somehow this thread has verged off from me being upset because someone is contemplating putting down their dog because it is an inconvenience to a thread about me being judgemental. Nice.

[LynneSin]

13. I've worked for no-kill shelters and some of them can be very depressing

Especially for the older animals that get passed over for younger ones. How do you think a pet, that may be in pain due to arthritis, feels that after living a life in a family suddenly he/she is put in a small cage to live. You can see perfectly happy pets sink into depression because of their change in environments.

I think the best choice is to let the decision between the owner and their vet.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

3. People suck

[Eyerish]

7. There's a reason I tend to like animals more than people...

this being a prime example.

[Bertha Venation]

4. oh, my fucking god

. . . and my mom, well, she's 87 and can't get around too well. We'll probably just put her down.

:banghead:

[hamsterjill]

11. I would be angry, too

If the dog is 15 and they don't know for sure whether she has arthritis or not, that means she's not been to the vet anytime recently.

Any pet that old with obvious health limitations should certainly have regular visits with a competent veterinarian. I realize people are having to make TOUGH decisions in this economy, etc., but the dog has given them 15 years of love and companionship, and they can't do more than consider having her put down?

There might be aspects to this story that I don't know or understand, but her comment would have angered me immensely!

[LynneSin]

14. So you know for a fact the dog has not had vet care?

:shrug:

[hamsterjill]

17. From the original post

The owner of the dog says she MIGHT have arthritis. If the dog had been to a vet, they would know for sure.

I've had a dog with arthritis and it was easily diagnosed by my veterinarian. It's a common ailment in older dogs.

And frankly, I grow weary of posts such as yours whereby you make sarcastic comments rather than contribute anything meaningful to the discussion.

I don't know these people personally...never said that I did. I simply stated that someone making the same comment to me would have angered me as well. In other words, I was agreeing with the OP.

[LynneSin]

20. Perhaps they called the vet that day and said their dog was in pain

perhaps the appointment has been scheduled.

Did you go to the Bill Frist school of diagnosing?

If someone was making that decision I would not be angered but empathetic. I would ask questions, find out why they decided that and perhaps find out more than just a casual statement of "it might be arthritis" and assuming the worst.

It's difficult to make decisions for what we do with our older pets and no different than our care with the elderly humans. Sometimes choices are made that break our hearts and no, not just those of us jumping on the bandwagon here with our quick decisions of what the 'truth' really is but those dealing with their aging pets.

I'm not defending these people just greatful I'm not in their position. I know nothing about the health of this animal nor do I know what their record is with the vet. Everyone here is making alot of assumptions judging these people that they don't know.

I look at it this way - the animal made it to 15 years (105 in human years). I can't see a dog making 15 years of age if he/she is not treated well by their owners or not getting vet care. Those people did something good for 15 years.

[hamsterjill]

27. Again, I was replying to the post

Given the information that was contained in the original post, I replied accordingly.

Good grief, I wasn't writing a trial brief with footnotes and research material attached!

The dog owner's comment, as described in the OP, would have angered me. I wanted to express my agreement with the original poster. And I still agree!

And I resent your comment implying that I might be like Bill Frist!

[alstephenson]

32. Geez. Lighten up already...

[mikeytherat]

15. We adopted a ferret, named "ferret," from a co-worker who couldn't have the ferret in her new house.

I mean, she could see a ferret in an apartment, but not in a home.

I'm pretty sure the irony of dropping off the ferret at our home was lost on her.

mikey_the_rat

[Deep13]

18. That's bizarre.

I know a woman who rescued rabbits (mostly former Easter presents) from destruction and kept them in her rented condo. Well, turned out that part of the complex was in a town that did not allow rabbits indoors because they were considered farm animals. One of her neighbors ratted her out (despite the very clean conditions there) and when the land lord heard of the city's interest in the matter, he told her to get rid of them.

So, for the next 5 months twenty-one rabbits lived in my cellar. They had individual pens, but I could still see a lot of them watching me through the glass door when I came home from the office. This was in addition to the two we owned ourselves and kept upstairs. What made the stay so long was the stipulation that if we helped her our, she would agree to move them someplace where it was not illegal to keep them. I was not willing to risk my law license by helping her pull the wool over the city's eyes. She eventually did so, though I understand she has acquired a new bunch in her condo again. Jesus, my allergies drove me nuts! It was the hay and the urine smell that did that.

[mikeytherat]

21. We did personal ferret rescue in the mid-90s (17 was the most we ever had at one time),

so people dropping off ferrets with us was fairly common. The whole "I can't have a ferret in my home" thing, however, really frosted my nads, so we took the ferret immediately. Twist of lime to the story: the ferret owner was my wife's co-worker and when she showed up at our house, I knew her immediately: she was my buddy's psycho (and I mean borderline Glen Close in "Fatal Attraction" psycho) ex-girlfriend. Fortunately, several years had passed and she couldn't remember me (I could see in her eyes she was thinking "I know this guy!"), but I knew her.

When we were selling our first house, we had to prep it for sale, so we dropped our then 13 ferrets off on our vets (who lived right down the street) for a few weeks. So, they got to add 13 ferrets to the six they had already. And their five English Mastiffs, and four cats, and a rat. Their basement was NUTS for those few weeks!

mikey_the_rat

[Deep13]

16. Not everyone thinks that way.

I've heard people say that a pet is part of the family. Not everyone thinks so and one should refrain from assuming they are immoral or heartless because of it. Frankly, urban dwellers have the luxury of treating their pets well because they are not involved in food or other animal product production. (Yes, I know, not everyone uses them.) And "might have arthritis" might mean the dog definitely has some degenerative problems and that arthritis is the most likely explanation. 15 is pretty old. I don't know what the local situation is, but we all know there are a lot more dogs in shelters than there are potential owners. Anyway, it sounds like the woman is downsizing, which is usually not by choice. I would not expect my family to become homeless for a pet and I would not do it myself. So, I understand if you find her apparent callousness shocking, but you cannot reasonably expect everyone to share your views about the value of pet animals.

[Eyerish]

25. Ok, if that's the case than I'm curious...

Why does anyone have a pet? Farmers and rural owners aside since they might actually use them for work purposes. Why does your typical urban & suburban person adopt an animal?? Aren't they looking for an animal who gives them love and companionship and possibly protection? That sounds like a family member to me.

I think if you adopt an animal and you don't plan to make it a part of your family for the long haul then you shouldn't adopt in the first place. Dogs especially since they are pack animals and are most happy in a family type of environment.

[Deep13]

28. Well, it is for companionship or because they generally enjoy animals.

Some people love their pets, but not everyone does. That is something that can exist by degree. And even if they love then, they have pets so that they (people) can love them. To put it another way, it is still the person using the animal, though it is for something intangible. Nevertheless, that does not necessarily make the animal part of the family. Dogs are pretty much programmed to love the pack and the pack leader. So they naturally love their owners. (Kind of like a built-in Stockholm syndrome.) We as humans take advantage of that by keeping them as pets and for various jobs they are good at doing. I frankly don't think cats are capable of love beyond their offspring, being naturally solitary. None of this makes pets family or even people. People can love inanimate and even imaginary things.

Maybe you are right about not getting them except if one is willing and able to keep them. I have to assume

[IntravenousDemilo]

19. Have you got room for the dog at your place?

That might be a solution. Not only would you be saving an animal that's given love for 15 years from a fate it doesn't deserve, but you'd be putting your money where your anger is. And your co-worker might be a bit relieved as well.

And it probably wouldn't be that long.

[Kali]

22. ...

:thumbsup:

[Eyerish]

23. I'd would take the dog in a heartbeat...

but I live in an apartment right now with a no dog stipulation. :(

I'm in the process of seeing if I can get some relief for her and the dog. I know a few people that might be able to help in the interim. They'll be moving within a few weeks so there's not a lot of time.

[IntravenousDemilo]

35. I wish you good luck with that.

If you can find even a relative in town who'll take the dog, and if your co-worker isn't moving to a different town, then your co-worker might even be able to visit once in a while.

I inherited both of my cats, one of them from the friend of a co-worker of mine, and the kitties both loved me unreservedly for many years. Granted, they were one year old and a year and a half respectively when I got them, and not fifteen, but I'm happy I had them. I'm hopeful that your co-worker's dog will find a nice, loving place to live out his remaining time.

[flvegan]

24. For a 15 year old dog, a no-kill shelter is a farce.

Doesn't exist.

That said, I can't understand how going from a townhouse WITH stairs to one withOUT stairs means euthanizing the dog due to possible arthritis. Methinks they are looking for an excuse to rid themselves of the dog.

Either way, some people just suck.

[Eyerish]

26. Admittedly, my knowledge about no-kill shelters is quite small...

The one that I got my kitties from took in all animals at any age so I guess I just assumed all were like that. When my fiance's uncle died his 13 yr old dog was given to the same shelter and within 2 months was adopted back out to a young family.

That's unfortunate to find out. Thanks for the heads up.

[Deep13]

29. two story house to a one story townhouse

We don't know why the move is prompting her to get rid of the dog. Could be limited space, a lack of a yard or simply a limit on the number of pets by the landlord or the condo association.

[Eyerish]

30. She's keeping all of her other pets (2 cats and 2 smaller dogs)

The reason she's moving is that she wants to be closer to where she works and decided a 4 bedroom house was more than they needed anymore. It was an intentional downsize not a forced one.

edited to add "other"

[Deep13]

31. You said a "co-worker."

Would she tell you if she was forced out of the old place or just could not easily afford it anymore?

Anyway, I still don't think it is heartless or immoral. Just as I object to religious conservatives forcing their prejudices on everyone else, I also object to projecting ones animals-are-people views on others too.

[Eyerish]

33. OMG..."religious conservative"?

Its not like I'm going to picket outside of her house with signs saying "dog killer" or anything of that sort. I'm not forcing my opinion on her or on you. I'm just expressing my opinion. I never used the words "heartless" or "immoral" that was all you. The situation makes me sad and angry. If you adopt an animal you take it through good times, bad times & inconvenient times.

Also - I never mentioned anything about an "animals-are-people" POV. I think it's a safe to say that most people consider their animals part of their family, not necessarily people.

First "lil Bill Frists" and now "religious conservative"....this has turned into a strange thread

[LynneSin]

34. Thing is that dog is 15 years old and didn't get there from neglect

My one of my best friends just put down her 14 year old dog. It was a painstaking choice to make. The dog was having severe seizures and needed watching constantly to ensure he didn't hurt himself when one happened. However, he could easily be kept alive if medicated but that meant the dog was 'loopy', out of it, no energy, no personality and would even growl and her for no reason. Thing is, the medication could have kept that dog alive for a few more years but he wouldn't be the lovable dog she knew for 14 years. She felt it was best to put him to sleep. It was not an easy choice for her and I'm sure for some you'd probably judge her as "she shouldn't have a dog if she isn't willing to put up with the bad times too". But none of you should be judging others when it comes to making these choices, they are difficult as it is.

If this family gave 15 years to a dog I would be happy to trust them with any of my pets. That dog would never get to 15 if it was neglected, abused or not routinely visited by a doctor. 15 years is 105 in human years so clearly this family did something right to that animal. I'm sure more thought than what you've told us was put into this possible decision and it doesn't make them horrible people. However, if you feel like being such an animal crusader the adopt the dog yourself. Outside of that let these people make their decision. Like my friend, they know that pet better than you or any of us do.

BTW, she took a few days off of work and took her dog off the medication. They went to her beach house (the dog's favorite place in the world) and spent a few last days together. She realized that keeping the pet medicated would give her a zombie dog and not giving him the medication could seriously harm the dog with the seizures. I think she made the right choice and after she mourns him a bit I'm sure she'll find a new pup for her home.

[NJmaverick]

36. That's cold