A certain death
One of the most popular programs in many shelters is the adoption to elderly people. I don't have any concrete numbers, but senior citizens seem to relish adopting an unwanted dog or cat from a shelter. For many, these animals provide companionship and love in an otherwise lonely existence.
On the flip side, what happens to these pets when their owner dies. I have seen wealthy seniors leave money to make sure the animal is cared for, but have also seen children or relatives dump the senior's animal at the closest rescue they can because they cannot deal with it.
My Mom has a little terrier mix named Jordan. Jordan is almost 15 now and a little feeble. She is going blind and is snappy. She has been since my mother first adopted her a couple of years ago. There is no doubt if she outlives my Mom, she will come to my house. My dogs and her will just have to coexist with me and like it. I would not put an elderly dog who just lost their owner in a shelter situation.
Each individual when faced with a situation like this must do what is right for them, but for just a moment, think what the dog or cat must be going through. Their whole life as they have known it is gone. Their owner, who they loved, has gone somewhere and not come back. Strangers are wondering through their home and nothing is as it should be. They are then taken to an even stranger place with more animals and the pet is mortified. This is why many animals whose owners have passed away never make it out of a shelter alive. They snap or are scared and end up being euthanized as an unadoptable dog.
That fact makes me kind of sad when people continue to treat companion animals as a throwaway commodity. Instead of figuring out a way to make it work, it is easier to make it someone else's problem.
On the flip side, what happens to these pets when their owner dies. I have seen wealthy seniors leave money to make sure the animal is cared for, but have also seen children or relatives dump the senior's animal at the closest rescue they can because they cannot deal with it.
My Mom has a little terrier mix named Jordan. Jordan is almost 15 now and a little feeble. She is going blind and is snappy. She has been since my mother first adopted her a couple of years ago. There is no doubt if she outlives my Mom, she will come to my house. My dogs and her will just have to coexist with me and like it. I would not put an elderly dog who just lost their owner in a shelter situation.
Each individual when faced with a situation like this must do what is right for them, but for just a moment, think what the dog or cat must be going through. Their whole life as they have known it is gone. Their owner, who they loved, has gone somewhere and not come back. Strangers are wondering through their home and nothing is as it should be. They are then taken to an even stranger place with more animals and the pet is mortified. This is why many animals whose owners have passed away never make it out of a shelter alive. They snap or are scared and end up being euthanized as an unadoptable dog.
That fact makes me kind of sad when people continue to treat companion animals as a throwaway commodity. Instead of figuring out a way to make it work, it is easier to make it someone else's problem.
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