Friday, June 22, 2012

JUST THROW IT AWAY!

OMG, that dress is soooo last year’s style, throw it away. This computer is too slow, let’s just pitch it. And, our dog, she’s getting so old she doesn’t even play anymore and she’s not as fast as she used to be, let’s get rid of her too. Sadly our society has embraced a throw away mentality.  
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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