Clarification

Some people were confused by my last post. No, we are not getting a new puppy. No, we are not (definitely not!) getting rid of our current beloved beasties. No, we are not pregnant.

It was meant as a parody of life as a Rescue Volunteer. There are a lot of reasons people turn dogs into rescue - some I agree with and some I don't. Giving up your dogs (whom I consider part of your family) because you are having a baby is not one I support. While we're on the subject, if anyone cares, here are my personal beliefs:

Good reasons to give up your dog:

• You are dead. (may you rest in peace)
• You found out you will be dead shortly. (again, so sorry)
• You developed a severe allergy (or your children are severely allergic) and you have tried everything else possible, but your health is at risk to keep your dog.
• You have been relocated by work overseas and cannot take the dog with you. (and this is an iffy one - you can transport dogs almost anywhere now.)

Bad reasons to give up your dog:

• You are having a baby and don't want a dog anymore.
• You moved to a place that doesn't accept dogs.
• You met "the love of your life" and he/she doesn't like your dog.
• You got divorced and it's too much trouble to keep the dog yourself.
• You are tired of taking care of the dog, they are just too much work.
• You're dog is untrainable (either potty training, jumping, barking, digging, etc.) yet you haven't actually tried to train him, or have given up after the first try.
• Your dog got old or became ill and and you don't want to deal with his issues.

All this being said, I do want to say that if you are going to give up your dog, for good or bad reasons, the best thing you can do is give it to a rescue organization. They will make sure that your dog is loved and cared for until another home is found. We would rather you give your dog to us than not take care of him/her or leave her somewhere unsafe.

Sometimes it just gets a little frustrating. I guess that's my point.

Anyone out there involved in rescue and/or heard good and bad reasons for giving dogs up?