Leave No Pet Behind

Regular readers of this blog know that I love animals. Two cats run the house on which I pay the mortgage. One of my best friends growing up was the family Doberman pinscher, Olga.

When I would read newspaper accounts of foreclosed families leaving their pets behind, I would regard these former homeowners with disdain. “How could they leave their furry friends behind?” I thought.

Upon learning a few days ago that family members left their 7-month-old pit pull puppy behind, I was angry. The puppy, an American bulldog named Nora, was left overnight in the backyard of their rental home, owned by my older brother H2. She appeared hungry and anxious. Upon seeing the stranded puppy, my otherwise mellow sibling became enraged.

“You don’t do that to a dog,” he told my younger sister T2.

No, pet owners shouldn’t leave their animals behind. I understand that many apartment complexes and rental homes don’t take pets because of the mess and noise associated with them. However, there are pet-friendly properties, even some landlords who accept pit bull terriers. But pet owners have to do extensive research to find such properties.

What angers me about the situation involving my family is that the family members renting my brother’s house knew they had only one year to find a new home before my brother gave up the property to the bank. H2, who will retire from his job after working 40 years with the same agency, faces living on a smaller, fixed income and can no longer afford to pay for his relatives to live in the home, which has been in our family since 1971. H2 bought the house from my older sister T1, who had purchased it from our parents. You don’t bring a dog into such a temporary situation.

When I learned that my relatives adopted Nora, I thought this would not end well for the dog. When I learned via an e-mail from T2 that Nora was left behind, I was tempted to adopt her. But reason prevailed: She would grow up and perhaps attack and kill my cats. Luckily, my other sister D intervened and talked to our family members. Friends of the former pet owners have taken in Nora and given her a forever home.

So, to my family members (and anyone with a pet): A pet is a responsibility for the animal’s lifetime. Do not adopt an animal unless you can give it a proper home, care, and love. Pets are not disposable. I realize that financial and housing circumstances can change quickly. In that case, find a new forever home for your pet. But in your case, you knew that your housing situation was temporary and should not have adopted an animal until you had a permanent place, preferable one that you own.

Leave no pet behind.

Writing Diva