We were trying to adopt a yellow lab. Koko we got from Joey's brother, who couldn't keep her. Our cat was a stray. I think it's the responsible thing to do to adopt a pet, vs buying a new puppy. But apparently we aren't good enough to adopt from a shelter or rescue group. The reason????? We keep our dog outside. Really? You sure?
I know I know....dogs are social creatures, they love to be with their family...blah blah blah...
When I say blah blah, I don't mean that's it's not true. I just mean that I think there are much worse things we could do than keep our dog outside. I think we are very good dog parents. We gave her the WHOLE side yard all to herself. She's not chained or kept in a little dog run. Joey put in grass for her to lay on and a concrete pad to keep her out of the mud. She is out in the bigger part of the yard almost every day (except really cold ones in the winter when no one wants to go outside.) Those days Joey gives her special attention and usually lets her in the house for a bit. But the rest of the time she's out running and playing with the daycare kids. They wear her out like nobody's business. We take her out in the mountains with us and often on trips to grandparents houses. We even do doggie play dates with her friends. Yes...I'm serious. And we're trying to get her a friend because she likes other dogs so much.
Both our dog and cat are "fixed" and current on their shots. We do bring Koko in during the really cold part of the winter. Joey even bought her a heated water bowl. She is a happy well cared for dog. So what gives people? Come on! They are DOGS for crying out loud. I'm sorry, but animals are NOT people too....
Maybe I'm wrong on this too, but it sure seems crueler to crate an animal for 8 hours at night so they can sleep inside with their "pack" than to give them a good shelter, a warm blanket and a friend to cuddle with in the great outdoors. I'm not a dog so I don't know. But I do know this...I don't think the dog or I would be happy if they were inside. I'm just not really a dog person. Joey is the reason we have the dogs and I'm OK with that. Our kids love the animals, we take care of them and everyone is happy. But our house in not big enough for two dogs, especially not a big lab. It's already a mess all of the time and smells funny half of the time because of the daycare. Add two dogs to that and mamma's not a happy camper. And if mamma ain't happy....yep....you know it...
Anyway, so I guess it's a thing with shelters that you have to say you'll keep your dog inside. As a result we've been rejected for the two dogs we've been interested in adopting. It just seems crazy to me that an otherwise good home would be turned away. I mean we aren't perfect by any means....but I'll tell ya what...don't whine to me anymore about the shelters being overrun with animals that no one will take. We would take one if we could! Perhaps we should just tell a little white lie next time....
2 comments:
Seriously? My niece picked up a dog from the Cedar shelter on Kitty Hawk when she was down here at Christmas because the shelter up in Montana cost so much to adopt from and I know she won't be keeping the dog indoors...
LOL at the idea of you adopting another dog. I'm with you on the white lie. It's a rule designed to prevent the people that will just ignore the dog while it tears up the backyard from boredom from adopting an animal they aren't ready for. Get a crate if you can (for travel, or sick days or such) and claim you will keep the dog in there. Do it occasionally and your lie is pretty white. Oh- and can my dog have playdates with yours? We can even include the kids! Poor Polly loves playing with other dogs and almost never gets the chance. We are NOT getting another one though.
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