"poor" people owning dogs

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Viewing 15 posts - 61 through 75 (of 236 total)
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  • #449150

    Susan
    Member

    Jerrycat I’m so sorry to hear about your 17 yr old cat…My 16 yr old cat Tinkerbell died just a few weeks ago on Christmas Day. And heaven forbid I fed her Whiskas and 9 Lives cat food..if you look back on previous post of mine you’ll see all my animals are over 10 yrs old and they, get whatever dog food I can afford but they all know how much their loved….so like you I must be doing something right…heres a website you might want to check out its http://www.petloss.com….Again, I’m really sorry for your loss.

    #449147

    claire
    Member

    Thank you so much Suebee, your words really mean a lot, as I am sure you know it is so very hard. I will check out the website you mentioned, thank you very much for thinking of me in this way.
    I am sorry to hear of your loss, it is so hard, isn’t it?
    At least we know that all of our pets have been happy and well loved, and that we have always done our very best, which must have been enough for our pets to have lived such long, happy lives.
    Please give your cats a pat for me!
    Thanks again for caring, take care.

    #449145

    Karen
    Member

    I will share my experience of 25 yrs volunteering with a no-kill animal rescue organization. The biggest reasons we get are (1) don’t have time, (2) moving, or (3) new baby. The ‘new baby’ excuse puzzles me. Never ‘We can’t afford the dog/cat.’
    The org I volunteer with has offered temp homes to pets for people who can not care for their animals because of homeless situations. Those people have lost so much, the thought of losing the one source of unconditional love tears them apart. I have held their hand and the box of tissue as they try to make the best choice for their four-footed best friend. Some will volunteer at the office, cleaning kennels in exchange for the temp housing of their pet. Others have donated $ when their life improves. Bless their heart! Where I volunteer, we also have a low-cost spay/neuter, and a medical aid program, all operated by donation. There ARE programs that may be able to help. Every community has it’s unique set of opportunities and situations. My pets eat better than I do, I have found premium food in the ‘damaged’ package bins at PetSmart and PetCo. My oldest cat was 21 years, 4 mo when I had to put her down; she started life on Cat Chow, as I learned more about petfood, I changed all my 9 cats and dog to chicken/rice diets. And they have all lived long, healthy lives. My Vet says ‘don’t change A THING, your animals live SO long’.

    #449141

    Bergen
    Member

    Who decides whether or not someone can afford to care for their pet, and at what level of care? I personally don’t like supermarket dog food, but I’ll be damned if I’d surrender my dog to the animal nazi’s because my "neighbor" saw me give my dog a cheap, nutritionally worthless bowl of it. I am still living in America aren’t I?

    #449140

    Karen
    Member

    Jerrycat and Suebee54, my condolences at the loss of your feline friend. I also had to put down a friend of 18 1/2 years. It is a tough decision, and one I will have to make many more times in my life. Life without furry footed friends is existing, in my opinion. My pets don’t have designer food, toys, or ‘costumes’, but all my friends want to spend their ‘next life’ as one of my pets. And they are all ‘rescues’. Take care, all.

    #449139

    Tom
    Member

    Yes, I believe you are correct in thinking this!
    But I myself took in a stray cat who would have froze to death a couple of years ago.
    I am concerned about not having the money if he would need help as I am a senior citizen on a fixed income and with heart problems. But i figure I can give this cat lots of love, food, and water and a nice warm home for as long as I can. Thats the best I can do. If I give him to a shelter, they will probably wind up destroying him. He is a big cat and is no trouble, even lets me cuts his nails.
    I thought if I get too bad I may have to look into a "NO Kill" shelter, if I can find one in phila.??????????
    So you see, in some case’s people do try to help animals, even when they cannot afford one. My friend always has two cats and they seem to stay healthy for years without problems, although I know that is not always the case.

    #449134

    Lori
    Member

    It doesn’t matter what income level you are, it should not deny someone to have an animal. We don’t have alot of money, but our pets come first. They always have good quality food, toys and their shots.
    If an emergency occured many vets will let you make payments.

    There are not too many people that have $1500 set aside for a pet emergency.

    #449133

    Deborah
    Member

    Yay THAT, brilo!!! 😀

    #449128

    Sue
    Member

    Whew! I don’t know how this thread got so far off course. I don’t believe anyone said you had to be rich or even have a lot of money to own a pet. The point was"no, love is not enough". Certainly love is important however if your pet is injured or has an illness needing medical care & you can’t or won’t provide it – then you should not have a pet. Nothing was said about providing toys or clothing – of course those things are not necessary. As for food, if you are feeding garbage, yes, you will pay – if not for quality food, then in vet bills for ear infections, internal ailments & skin problems. As for the dog "liking" the food – they will eat road kill too – doesn’t mean its good for them. With all the salt, sugar & artificial flavoring they put in the cheap stuff, of course they LIKE it.

    #449126

    Rachel
    Member

    Totally agree with Suebegone and that is exactly how I feel reading the posts. We never said that you had to be Paris Hilton or Britney Spears to own pets and we weren’t generalizing to say that only rich people care enough for their pets. I hate to go on and on but she summed it up in her short statement. Again, I know none of you believe that someone who can’t or won’t pay for basic care should have a pet – that is why everyone who responds talks about all they have done for their babies.

    #449125

    Bergen
    Member

    That’s right, but the problem that I had was when someone said that having a pet was a privilege and not a right. In this great country of ours we aren?t supposed to trample on everyone?s rights in order to fix a problem that exists with SOME people. Just because some people are ignorant, lazy, and choose to abuse the rights that they are so lucky to be able to enjoy, doesn?t mean other people who take their responsibilities seriously and don?t need big brother looking over their shoulder all the time in order to ?do the right thing? should be subjected to ever tightening control by the whims of the government. In order to clarify my position I would just like to say that of course they can prohibit having a horse on a quarter acre lot in town, but we should be cautious about where these good intentions may lead, and at what point they trump common sense. The original post was referring to lower middle class, not abject poverty after all.

    #449124

    Rachel
    Member

    Well, perhaps the original post would have been more appropriately titled "Should People Who Cannot Afford Basic Care Own a Pet." I imagine that we would all be in agreement then. I think I was the one that said owning a pet is a privledge not a right and I still think that applies. I also think that having children is a privledge and not a right, and that is why parents who aren’t providing adequate care get their kids taken away. If you had a neighbor who had a dog that appeared malnourished or ill, I know that you would intervene because you clearly love animals. I know that you believe that animals need food, shelter and medical care when necessary, so I don’t understand why you interpret the discussion as a disagreement. I think we agree with each other more than you realize.

    #449123

    Deborah
    Member

    YOU BOTH DO AGREE…so, let it go already… The original poster had made their point…maybe without using the best articulation, however still her point was CLEAR, (I suppose that is what you are feeling RK), however everyone else doesn’t seem to take issue with how it was put. We all get it…we all agree…why is this perpetuating?????????????

    #449122

    Tom
    Member

    But let me just say ONE MORE thing. "Just kidding" LOL

    gonty
    RIght on!

    #449118

    Deborah
    Member

    tomsppp, your funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Viewing 15 posts - 61 through 75 (of 236 total)

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