# RANT: When People adopt animals without doing research first...



## LilysPets (Jul 1, 2016)

Okay so, as this title says, this thread is a rant.

With Christmas around the corner, many, including myself, are preparing for Christmas. Which also means many animals will be adopted and be given as gifts. I think giving a pet as a gift is okay, as long as the one receiving it has done their research, aware, and is ready. For example, a child does a ton of research from reliable sources about pet rats, and their parents, knowingly, bought her pet rats. In that situation, I strongly feel it is okay. 

Unfortunately the past two weeks, I've seen a lot of people at pet stores looking at rabbits, guinea pigs, puppies, etc. for their children or partner. They wanted to "keep it a surprise" to make it all more exciting for Christmas. Some families didn't even know what to feed these animals and grabbed whatever the pamphlet PetSmart created and did their shopping that way... Which I am positive we are all aware is NOT ACCURATE AT ALL. 

Even with the holiday season aside, it drives me insane when people adopt animals without doing research first! I was on Kijiji (It's like Craigslist, but many Canadians use it) looking for a few things to buy secondhand, and just for the heck of it, checked out the Pet section. Seen SEVERAL ads with the following captions...

"Bought her a week ago, but must get rid of her as I don't have time for her."

"My roommate/partner doesn't like it, so it has to go."

"Looking for a cute puppy. Must be cute, nothing ugly. Hoping for free or low price as I can't afford much."

These are just a few. In the photos, the conditions some of these animals are living in is unacceptable! I saw a photo of 2 male rats living in those tiny Hamster Crittertrail cages, the round ones if you guys know which I am talking about. That cage is WAY too small for a rat, let alone two! They're even small for hamsters, even though they're marketed for them. 

I am just so frustrated to see all these people impulsively adopting pets because they're cute, or always wanted one, etc. An animal is a commitment, a commitment that is until they pass away. Of course there are certain circumstances where rehoming may be best (Sick owner, etc.), but it's always so sad pets from Christmas get rehomed or returned because they simply weren't prepared or did enough research. 

Sorry, this is a long rant. I couldn't help myself.


----------



## Andromeda (Apr 28, 2016)

Oh my god, I feel the exact same way. xP People who impulse buy pets are idiots. Sorry, but they really are. Like, how little respect do you have to have for life that you would buy a living creature fully aware of the fact that you have no idea how to care for it?

It drives me CRAZY.


----------



## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

People suck and I hate them.

It breaks my heart how people treat pets and see them as just things really that you can just buy and replace or get rid of when it doesn't suit you that day. These people should not allowed to keep pets.

And yep after the holidays there will be tons of ads rehoming all the christmas presents that are omg actual work and responsibility.


----------



## LilysPets (Jul 1, 2016)

I personally think pet stores should have some form of adoption application prior to just giving them away. I also strongly think that parents should help care for the children's pets, as kids won't always remember to feed them, clean their cage weekly, etc. I really blame the parents. 

I got my first ferret on my 16th birthday. It was a gift, but I asked for them and I did 2 years worth of research. 

It also bothers me when I see "I don't have time" excuses. When I was in university for my Bachelor's Degree, I lived off-campus the entire 3 years I was there, because I had my pets. I MADE time for them. If I had a 10am class, I would get up at 8am and let my pets out and give them my attention, so they could rest while I was away in class. 

Even the employees at pet store barely know their stuff. I heard one person explain to this woman that guinea pigs were nocturnal... Seriously? When I see the horrible ads online and people in public, I just want to go up to them and slap them in the face, lol.


----------



## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

> I personally think pet stores should have some form of adoption application prior to just giving them away.


Honestly no pet store should ever sell pets. That is a huge problem right there. They should hold adoptions from rescues and that is it.



> It also bothers me when I see "I don't have time" excuses.


I hate that too. So you suck at managing your time? How is that the animals fault? It is 100% something that can be fixed by you if you cared at all.

There is a fitness quote I love that goes: "If it is important to you you will find the time, if not you will find excuses"

And that is so true. Has no one ever heard of making a schedule?


----------



## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

If you don't like that petstores sell animals, it is easy- stop sponsoring any pet stores that sell animals. Buy your pet related products online or from a pet store that doesn't sell animals. Pet stores make much more money by selling cages, food, toys...than selling animals. The only reason pet stores sell pets is because they know people will buy the cage to go with that pet and come back each month to buy more food and toys. If your local pet store selling animals doesn't make enough profits, it will close. Many pet stores selling animals have closed near me in recent years, a few not selling animals have opened.


----------



## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

A family member of mine just straight up dumped her two dogs off at the local pound when she didn't want them anymore. They were likely euthanized not long after. She could've at least surrendered them to a non-kill shelter or rescue (which are plentiful in her area). But travelling an extra 30 minutes and signing some papers seemed like too much work. Much eaiser to dump them at the local pound and go about their happy life, oblivous to the fact that they just gave their dogs a death sentance.


----------



## Andromeda (Apr 28, 2016)

LilysPets said:


> I personally think pet stores should have some form of adoption application prior to just giving them away. I also strongly think that parents should help care for the children's pets, as kids won't always remember to feed them, clean their cage weekly, etc. I really blame the parents.
> 
> I got my first ferret on my 16th birthday. It was a gift, but I asked for them and I did 2 years worth of research.
> 
> ...


THIS. Parents who get pets for their kids to 'teach them responsibility'. Um, no. That's your job. It shouldn't be put on some poor hamster/rabbit/budgie who will be basically abused and neglected by your kid because you were too lazy to teach them how to be responsible. In my opinion, no kid under 8 should be given a pet. And even then, the parent should be responsible for overseeing all of that animal's care.

And honestly, pet store employees usually know literally nothing about the animals they sell. Before I got my rats, my boyfriend and I wanted to get guinea pigs. We got into a huge argument because apparently some pet store worker had told him that guinea pigs were 'fine' living by themselves. I basically told him that if we couldn't get two guinea pigs, we weren't getting any because it was cruel to keep one alone.

A few weeks ago (at the same store), I was playing with some of the baby rats they had there, and one of the employees came up to me and asked if I had a rat. I said 'Yeah, I've got two.' And she then told me all about her lone rat, and how she had considered getting another but decided not to because he was so bonded to her and she didn't want to ruin that bond by getting another rat. It took all of my self control to not give her a whole rant on why that was completely wrong.


----------



## Asteria (Jul 6, 2016)

> A family member of mine just straight up dumped her two dogs off at the local pound when she didn't want them anymore.


I especially don't understand this at all. Did she not form a bond with them at all? How could she just dump them off to be killed like trash? Some people are just so heartless.


----------



## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

Asteria said:


> I especially don't understand this at all. Did she not form a bond with them at all? How could she just dump them off to be killed like trash? Some people are just so heartless.


No, not really. I had to bite my tongue when she told me. Honestly, she shouldn't of got them at all. She bought the first dog to guard her property. Never walked it, never trained it, never played with it, only went outside to feed him. She socially and mentally neglected him. This dog was a Blue Healer, a high energy, high intelligence hearding breed that does best on a farm and needs lots of mental stimulation. Mind you this woman is 60 years old, obese and can't stand up for long periods of time without her feet acheing. So as you can imagine, the dog was out of her control. She would always complain that the dog was destructive, disobedient and loud. Can you really blame him though? He was bored out of his brains. The second dog was the offspring of my families two dogs (who are both now spayed/neutered). My dad wanted to breed them so me and my siblings could experience life or whatever. We were left with one pup that we couldn't find a home for so we gave her to the person I'm talking about. She neglected this dog too, and it also grew up to be destructive and disobedient. Eventually she got sick of them and took them to the pound. Made me so angry. If you have to get rid of your pets then the absolute least you can do is make sure they will be in good hands but she was too lazy and selfish to do that. Pounds are just holding bays for strays and lost dogs, they aren't a rehoming service. Unwanted dogs are often put down.


----------



## LilysPets (Jul 1, 2016)

I mentioned in another thread somewhere, but I used to have a former housemate who did not care for her dog properly.

Yes, she dearly loved that dog, but man she was a terrible owner. That poor dog, a German shepherd cross, was crated 23 hours a day if he was lucky. There were numerous days when he was only out for half an hour because I felt so bad and took him out. She rarely took him out for a walk, only let him out to go outside of a potty break and some food, and then back into the crate he goes. I felt terrible for that poor dog; when I let him out to stretch and hang around our unit, he kept trying to get back into his crate! I had to close his crate so he could actually go around, but he would only lie down in front of it, as if he was already in it. 

It also drives me insane when people who are bad with their money say they can't afford to take their pets to the vet. I by no means am putting down those with low-income, I mean those who DO have the money, but choose NOT to be smart with it. The roommate would cry and come to me asking for money when her dog needed her annual vaccines, stating she had no money. However, 2 weeks before that, she bought a $300 Micheal Kors bag and $400 at some clothing store IN THE SAME MONTH. Got no money? Yeah right, you just don't care enough for your dog to have a vet fund! 

I can't imagine not being able to afford a vet bill for my furbabies. I've been extremely lucky to always have enough in my vet fund to never worry about whether I can afford a bill or not. I also sacrifice a lot for my pets and yes, that is my choice and a choice that I do not regret. I may not be able to afford a Louis Vuitton handbag or some other brand-name materials like many of my colleagues and friends do, but I'm simply happy the way I am living. My pets are my family and their welfare is under my hands, and I will do everything to ensure they always get what they need!

There are so many bad owners in this world, our laws need to be stricter with harsher punishments for those who do not properly care for their pets.


----------



## MissSix (Jul 8, 2014)

I worked with a cat rescue and **** did that make me hate humanity. People would dump off kittens because they were aging out of the cute kittenhood and into the more adolescent cat phase. 

People think that cats don't care if their human pays attention to them, and that they are fine being left alone with just one toy... then they complain that the cat was destructive and would bother them all the time. It is ridiculous that some people have it in their head that you can just take an animal into your home, put it in a cage, and everything will be fine. I've come across a lot of cockatoos that suffered that treatment, where they were kept in a small cage with no toys and no interaction, then their humans yelling at them because they are loudly begging for someone to pay attention to them. 

And oh yes! People spending all their money on luxury items when their pet needs care make me sick. In general, people being irresponsible with their money then complaining that they are broke annoy me. If you have the means to buy a $300 bag, you have the means to put $100 away every month, or every paycheck for unexpected bills like vet visits. I know it's not always so simple, but it's very easy to stop buying expensive luxury items for a month. Shoot, my mom has spent hundreds of dollars on her dog's care, thousands on her previous dog who had epilepsy, even though I know she wants to buy new clothes or other things. As far as I am concerned, that's just being an adult- planning for the uncertain future.


----------



## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Human nature is geared toward instant satisfaction, instant self gratification, minimum efforts. It is only when you do a conscious effort to go beyond that, to work to improve yourself, get a good education, have goals and work to actually achieve them...that good things happen and you are being a responsible person. Most people are too lazy to do the right things, take the right decisions...it demands too much efforts on their part- it is very sad and very annoying to the people who work hard and are responsible.


----------



## LilysPets (Jul 1, 2016)

Majority of my funds go to my pets if they haven't gone to my bills. 

I don't get to buy brand-name clothes, go shopping every weekend or travel much, simply because I'd rather put that extra money aside for my furbabies. You can never be too safe and one of my ferrets are special needs and require to see a specialist that is about 1.5 hours from me. My boyfriend buys a brand new car every 2 years, because he can afford to do that and he asks why all the time why I don't "spoil myself." It's my choice and I'd rather have enough savings in times for emergencies than have a major debt on my credit card or something! I always feel my sacrifices are worth it when my pets are happy, healthy, and be able to afford an expensive vet bill without the financial stress. I had an emergency for one of my ferrets last week that cost me $1,100, but I do not regret that and relieved that my sacrifices were worth it. 

There was a case this week of a couple who had 3 children but did not have the $120 to euthanize their cat that had fallen off from a balcony. I was appalled. 3 kids but don't have $120 to end your cat's suffering? The poor cat had broken bones and internal bleeding...


----------



## Hamthebunny (Nov 24, 2016)

Ugh and it's all animals too! I have some birds including ducks and chickens and I have literally taken in all, from parakeets, to ducks from people who "didn't realize the hassle it would be" BS! We all know they just wanted the cute baby animals and then when they weren't worth the time decided to throw em away! People suck so bad! But they're my babies now so it's their loss!


----------

