Vent: Why Do People Get A Pup Without Really Thinking It Over

[BC Crazy]

So often I see over weight dogs. Labs especially

There are 2 that live behind us. I swear they can barely walk. On a hot day you hear them before you see them.

Huffing & puffing as they struggling to walk It is just so sad & so cruel. One of this pair inparticular, her hind legs are so bowed from trying to support her own sheer body mass... The owners say "oh, they love their food"...

[RedFeather]

A timely thread as I'm beating my head against a brick wall after having the "Bendigo free pets" group suggested to me on Facebook. NO. JUST NO. BECAUSE NO.

I often see 'WTB *insert breed here* for free or cheap plz' .......WHY!?!?! I know we all like free stuff. I like free samples, I like free furniture on the side of the road, I like free upgrades. These are all really neat things. But this is another LIFE that YOU need to be RESPONSIBLE for. You cant just be responsible for the idea of having a dog and leave it at that. Time, effort, patience, consistency, training, money and most importantly love need to be spent on this creature and it just breaks my heart to see people just after the cheap and easy option.

One of the rescue groups I follow on facebook frequently get nasty comments on how much they 'charge' for their rescue dogs. Somehow people think that they should be able to just have dogs for nothing because they are 'rescuing' them. I just hate to think what would happen if rescues gave the dogs away...what would the new owners do if they suddenly had to take their dog to a vet for treatment, that probably could have been prevented except they also didn't pay for vaccinations/worming/good food etc?

My housemate once got a free kitten from a barn at a golf club. By the time she had it treated for the terrible ear mite infestation it had as well as wormed, vaccinated etc? Would have been MUCH CHEAPER to adopt a healthy kitty from a rescue group.

[YippeeGirl]

I find looking at ads on Gumtree and reading some FB groups/pages depressingly sad. There's just so much ignorance out there, especially nowadays with the age of the 'Internet Expert'. You see some people that really just think they are Gods of their own little FB worlds, and some of the most terrible advice gets passed on through these channels.

I am not the most perfect dog owner in the world, far from it. But when you look at how some dogs live, it's enough to break your heart. Worst are those people who profess so eagerly that they love their dogs, when their ignorance is causing them to suffer. My neighbour's dog is like this. Her owner loves her dearly, but she is slowly and steadily killing her.

[Mavis]

How is it even possible to make a puppy fat!!!!

[Scottsmum]

A timely thread as I'm beating my head against a brick wall after having the "Bendigo free pets" group suggested to me on Facebook. NO. JUST NO. BECAUSE NO.

I often see 'WTB *insert breed here* for free or cheap plz' .......WHY!?!?! I know we all like free stuff. I like free samples, I like free furniture on the side of the road, I like free upgrades. These are all really neat things. But this is another LIFE that YOU need to be RESPONSIBLE for. You cant just be responsible for the idea of having a dog and leave it at that. Time, effort, patience, consistency, training, money and most importantly love need to be spent on this creature and it just breaks my heart to see people just after the cheap and easy option.

One of the rescue groups I follow on facebook frequently get nasty comments on how much they 'charge' for their rescue dogs. Somehow people think that they should be able to just have dogs for nothing because they are 'rescuing' them. I just hate to think what would happen if rescues gave the dogs away...what would the new owners do if they suddenly had to take their dog to a vet for treatment, that probably could have been prevented except they also didn't pay for vaccinations/worming/good food etc?

My housemate once got a free kitten from a barn at a golf club. By the time she had it treated for the terrible ear mite infestation it had as well as wormed, vaccinated etc? Would have been MUCH CHEAPER to adopt a healthy kitty from a rescue group.

I don't have a terribly good relationship with my mother, but I'll always be greatful for one of her constant sayingsto use kids - "The cheapest part of owing a horse is buying it". I totally understand that now.

[Brookestar]

I was walking my dog a few months ago and some children who always play in their front yard asked me "why do you always walk your dog, we see you walk past us, almost every day, and sometimes more than once a day". I said, because she needs to be walked and enjoys it. The response "our dog never goes out of the backyard, sometimes it never even sees one of us for 3 or 4 days, because we can see the food bowl from inside and if it has food we don't need to go out to put more in. We play out here, because otherwise the dog annoys us". That was from a kid about 10, there were 3 other children younger than it. Why get a dog if you are not going to be anywhere near it. And what on earth do they think that is teaching the kids.

In terms of fat labs, I have a friend with a guide dog. We were walking into a swimming pool once and someone commented, it is so nice to see a lab that is not obese, and then commented to the person with her "mum that is what your dog should look like", the response from the person I am assuming with the woman's mother, that dog is anorexic and should be reported to the RSPCA for animal cruelty. The stories she tells of people abusing her for having a healthy size lab are horrifying. It is beyond me how people think a dog that can barely stand up and barrelling out to the side is healthy.

[02Dogs]

Because there are some REALLY REALLY REALLY selfish a-holes in the world with easy access to animals :-(

[Scottsmum]

I was walking my dog a few months ago and some children who always play in their front yard asked me "why do you always walk your dog, we see you walk past us, almost every day, and sometimes more than once a day". I said, because she needs to be walked and enjoys it. The response "our dog never goes out of the backyard, sometimes it never even sees one of us for 3 or 4 days, because we can see the food bowl from inside and if it has food we don't need to go out to put more in. We play out here, because otherwise the dog annoys us". That was from a kid about 10, there were 3 other children younger than it. Why get a dog if you are not going to be anywhere near it. And what on earth do they think that is teaching the kids.

In terms of fat labs, I have a friend with a guide dog. We were walking into a swimming pool once and someone commented, it is so nice to see a lab that is not obese, and then commented to the person with her "mum that is what your dog should look like", the response from the person I am assuming with the woman's mother, that dog is anorexic and should be reported to the RSPCA for animal cruelty. The stories she tells of people abusing her for having a healthy size lab are horrifying. It is beyond me how people think a dog that can barely stand up and barrelling out to the side is healthy.

Oh both if these stories are horrible.