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| Nina is all smiles |
These are exactly the
circumstances under which my Planned
Pethood foster dog, Nina, arrived on my doorstep. She has been with us for a
year now, turning 11 in foster care. She was originally adopted at 18 mos.,
then kicked to the curb at 10. The family had 3 dogs and wanted to downsize.
Thankfully, Planned Pethood has an enlightened return policy, anytime,
anywhere, and for any reason, the rescues are welcomed back. Unfortunately,
this is not an isolated occurrence. People have no qualms about disposing of
one of their family members.
It was a disposable dog
that brought me into the world of foster care. Someone dropped off their dog at
the high school where I worked. She had on a collar but no tags. At the end of
the day on that Friday, it was just me and the dog still left at school so I
took her home and called Planned Pethood.
There were no foster homes available so, could I just keep her until one
opened up? I named her Jane after a good friend who fostered and there was no
looking back. I ran ads, checked with the pound, and called shelter after
shelter. No luck. I took her to our vet and she did have a microchip. I got
really excited as the company played the tune “Reunited” in the background as
they check on the dog. Jane’s family had TWO phone numbers listed but they had
disconnected both . It was then I knew indisputably that she had
been thrown away (BTW, Jane got a wonderful forever home).
The most egregious and
sickening example of abandonment takes place when people just flat out move and
leave their pets. My foster dog Liam came to me from a pound in a rural county.
He was rescued from a trailer with 30 cats. When the officers entered the
residence, the temperature registered 120 degrees. There was no prosecution.
The offenders were “in the wind”, left the state. I could not get little Li, who resembled a
fox, to eat properly. We finally figured it out, he never ate dog food. He went
to town on cat food however. He had some dental problems too and had to have
several teeth removed. When he smiled, gaps and all, he looked like he came
from the hills. Liam now lives in a huge suburban home with 3 kids who adore
him. He came to bunk up with us while his family went on vacation recently.
This state of affairs
has become so common that the volunteers
of Planned Pethood no longer even bat an
eye at a story of animals being abandoned. Currently, I am fostering a litter of
“Y” kittens, Yardley, Yogi, Yoyo and tiny little Yoda who came from a hoarder.
The woman had 70 cats in her home. She acquired them as people threw them away
but she did not spay and
neuter them which created a larger nightmare.
These babies are among the lucky ones because Planned Pethood stepped in and saved them. They were sick with respiratory
infections, eye infections, and bacterial infections.
In conclusion, as
disgusting as these stories are, they are neither unique nor isolated. Finally, this blog is dedicated to the memory
of little Yancey who died before we could help him.
All of Planned
Pethood's pets are up to date on age-appropriate shots and flea and heartworm
prevention before being offered for adoption. In addition, Planned Pethood's
policy is to treat all medical ailments, regardless of cost, unless the
treating vet feels there is nothing more that can be done. We do not refuse
treatment to our animals based on cost of treatment or on the age of the
animal. When we take in a dog or cat, we take that commitment seriously.(submitted by Judy S)
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