Never Give Up
Thursday, August 5, 2010
By: Alicia Wright

Homeless Pets Need You

Homeless pets never give up on the hope that someone will walk by their cage, do a double take, and turn around for a closer look.  That one moment is when the perfect connection could be made that will result in the greatest gift of all, a new home and forever family.

Animal shelters and rescue groups everywhere never give up on the hope that they can save the millions of pets that become homeless every year by promotion of aggressive spay/neuter and adoption programs.  Sadly, despite the hard work of these groups and the educational information that is readily available to all of us, at least 50% of the animals that become homeless every year don’t survive.

So how can we honor the everlasting hope that lives on and pushes us all to continue the fight to save homeless animals?  By starting at home!

Every person who has a companion animal also has an opportunity to set the standard of compassionate and responsible pet ownership for their friends, families, neighbors and colleagues.  If we all think about and plan for the following, we significantly decrease the risks of losing our pet or having to give our pet up for adoption:

Type of pet – We may be drawn to a certain species and breed within that species.  But plan ahead.  Is that pet right for your lifestyle, home environment, work schedule, or financial situation?  If not, do yourself and the pet a favor, select a different pet.  Everyone will be much happier.

Life Expectancy/Healthcare Risks – Know the general life expectancy of the pet you wish to bring into your life and the possible genetic health issues that may occur.  This will help you come up with a realistic plan of action to deal with these issues as they occur.

Proper Identification – Many pets become lost every year and end up in a shelter because they are not “carrying” any identification and their owners cannot be located.  Make sure your dog is licensed and wearing his/her tags.  Consider micro-chipping or tattooing as a means of permanent identification for your cat or dog.  Try to prevent your pet from becoming a statistic.

Medical Emergencies – Despite all the proper care, love and attention we give our pets, they are living beings subject to the same potential for medical emergencies as their human caretakers.  Consider purchasing pet health insurance or creating a health care emergency savings fund.  These options could make the difference between successful treatment of the illness or having to consider giving the pet up for adoption.

Disasters, Natural or Otherwise – Too often, people don’t have a disaster preparedness plan in place when an emergency occurs.  This can leave people with no other choice than to say goodbye to their pets.  Develop a plan to help you help yourself in the face of a disaster.  Consider things like pet friendly accommodations, boarding, temporary care with friends/family and how you will recover financially.  These steps may help you keep your beloved pet despite a cataclysmic event.

Be Flexible – Earlier in this article, the “living beings” connection was made between pets and humans.  We all know that to have a successful relationship with our family, friends and colleagues, we need to be flexible, understanding and good communicators.  We also need to take responsibility for our own input into these relationships.  This type of behavior needs to be mirrored in the relationships we create with our pets.  They won’t always behave perfectly, but we need to give them the tools they need to be successful like training and exercise.  A pet whose needs are not being met will act out.

In an imperfect world fraught with challenges at every turn, planning for the entire life of your pet may not provide a 100% guarantee against having to place your pet for adoption.    But by doing our best to never give up on our pets through insightful planning, we WILL positively impact the homeless pet problem by decreasing the number of pets looking for new families.    

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