Surrendering Your Dog

People come up with excuses to surrender their dog to a shelter: Sickness, childbirth, moving, etc. I'm going to destroy each excuse, starting with moving. There's nothing wrong with moving, but you can't take your dog with you? Dogs are loyal to their owners, and it's not fair to leave them behind when their owners relocate for whatever reason. If you move, your dog should go with you. Childbirth: A couple decides to have a child, and they surrender their dog. They've had their dog for years and as soon as a child comes into the picture, they give up their dog. Studies have shown that dogs are great companions to children, so why give up a loyal dog for a child? That's stupid. Some people are too lazy to socialize their dog with their kids, so they take the easy way out and surrender their dog instead of letting their child bond with the dog. Sickness: I read a story where someone gave up their dog to help care for a sick relative. Hogwash. The dog was hurt. Where was the father's other relatives? I'm sure the relative has plenty people to help take care of him/her, so there was no excuse for this person to surrender their dog.

I don't care what happens, I'm not giving up my dog. Since I got my first dog, I made a promise to love her until the end of time, and I'm keeping that promise. I take care of my niece's dog like he's my own. I see why pet owners say that taking care of a pet is like caring for a child, because it is. Just like you spend time with your child, you're spending time with your pet. You're feeding, bathing, and nurturing your pet the same as your child. When parents take their kids for physicals and periodic check-ups, they're taking their pet to the vet for routine check-ups, shots, etc. I think about all the dogs in shelters; those dogs who were surrendered for whatever reason. Some shelter dogs have never known a forever home, so they spend their entire lives in the shelter. How many shelter dogs get adequate attention? Most shelter dogs get very little attention outside of having their food brought to them, and periodic walks. If someone isn't capable of caring for a pet for life, they shouldn't get one. It doesn't make sense to get a dog and surrender it when something comes up. The dog is at the shelter wondering what it did to end up there. I want to adopt a rescue dog one day so I can experience the joy that comes with giving a shelter dog a forever home.