Really Not Happy
Dec. 20th, 2001 09:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladysprite'Let's get a puppy for Christmas!'
'It was so cute, I just had to take it home.'
'But all the dalmations on tv are so well behaved...'
'I already spent $500 on the dog, I can't afford any more for veterinary care.'
Pets make really freaking lousy gifts. Pets are not good impulse buys. Pets are not easy to take care of. Pet stores and puppy mills are not good places to find a puppy. If you really must spend that much money on a holiday gift, buy $500 worth of stuffed animals. Trust me, you'll be happier in the long run.
I must have seen at least half a dozen new puppies today, all of them Christmas impulse-buys, and none of them healthy. Every single goddamn one of them was cryptorchid (an *inherited* problem that can be prevented by NOT BREEDING THE DAMN DOGS THAT CARRY THE PROBLEM), most of them were crawling with fleas and churning with parasites, malnourished, dehydrated, and carrying at least one other congenital disease.
And the owners blink at me with vacant eyes like TV screens, unable to parse the concept that little FooFoo, who just cost them so much money, is anything less than perfect. Never mind that the thing is so weak it can't stand - maybe it's just tired from the trip? Never mind that FooFoo is *SEIZURING,* maybe that's normal for this breed? Oh, and the breeder told me this is a special breed that doesn't need vaccines.
I know that there are good breeders out there, but frankly, they're few and far between. And I know that there are responsible, well-educated owners out there, but there are also a lot of impulse-buyers who have no idea of what they're getting into. Buying a pet is not like buying a stuffed animal that can kiss and cuddle you and provide you with infinite love at no cost. It takes a lot of work and effort on the part of the person adopting an animal, and a lot of money, especially in the first year. It's wonderful, and rewarding, and miraculous, but it's not for everyone. If you can't afford to feed and vaccinate and spay/neuter your pet, and treat it for whatever puppy-illnesses arise, you shouldn't have it. Same if you can't find the time to train it, housebreak it, play with it, and give it the attention and affection it needs. I know this probably sounds cruel, and that people will protest that the poor need puppy-kisses too, but it's also cruel to the pet to condemn it to a life of poor health, malnutrition, and potential suffering because someone was too selfish to consider the animal's health before adopting it. If you want puppy-love but can't afford your own pet, volunteer as a handler at a shelter. Those animals need love desperately, and you'd be doing a good deed.
I wish there was a legal way for me to strike out at the breeders selling these dogs - it's cruel, it's unhealthy, it's terrible in a thousand ways. But most of them are small enough that they're not covered by the Animal Welfare Act. And I wish there were a way that I could get through to people that animals do not make good gifts, and that they should be prepared before adopting a pet. I've tried to convince my boss that pre-purchase couseling would be a good service to offer, but she's not willing to let me try it. So I wind up spending my days explaining to people that they've been lied to, and that the new puppy they took home yesterday may not survive until Christmas, and watching things that should be bouncing, energetic balls of fluff puke up puddles of worms on my sneakers, then roll in it because they're too weak to stand up or move away.
I love the holiday season, but I can see myself coming to hate it all too easily if I'm not careful...
'It was so cute, I just had to take it home.'
'But all the dalmations on tv are so well behaved...'
'I already spent $500 on the dog, I can't afford any more for veterinary care.'
Pets make really freaking lousy gifts. Pets are not good impulse buys. Pets are not easy to take care of. Pet stores and puppy mills are not good places to find a puppy. If you really must spend that much money on a holiday gift, buy $500 worth of stuffed animals. Trust me, you'll be happier in the long run.
I must have seen at least half a dozen new puppies today, all of them Christmas impulse-buys, and none of them healthy. Every single goddamn one of them was cryptorchid (an *inherited* problem that can be prevented by NOT BREEDING THE DAMN DOGS THAT CARRY THE PROBLEM), most of them were crawling with fleas and churning with parasites, malnourished, dehydrated, and carrying at least one other congenital disease.
And the owners blink at me with vacant eyes like TV screens, unable to parse the concept that little FooFoo, who just cost them so much money, is anything less than perfect. Never mind that the thing is so weak it can't stand - maybe it's just tired from the trip? Never mind that FooFoo is *SEIZURING,* maybe that's normal for this breed? Oh, and the breeder told me this is a special breed that doesn't need vaccines.
I know that there are good breeders out there, but frankly, they're few and far between. And I know that there are responsible, well-educated owners out there, but there are also a lot of impulse-buyers who have no idea of what they're getting into. Buying a pet is not like buying a stuffed animal that can kiss and cuddle you and provide you with infinite love at no cost. It takes a lot of work and effort on the part of the person adopting an animal, and a lot of money, especially in the first year. It's wonderful, and rewarding, and miraculous, but it's not for everyone. If you can't afford to feed and vaccinate and spay/neuter your pet, and treat it for whatever puppy-illnesses arise, you shouldn't have it. Same if you can't find the time to train it, housebreak it, play with it, and give it the attention and affection it needs. I know this probably sounds cruel, and that people will protest that the poor need puppy-kisses too, but it's also cruel to the pet to condemn it to a life of poor health, malnutrition, and potential suffering because someone was too selfish to consider the animal's health before adopting it. If you want puppy-love but can't afford your own pet, volunteer as a handler at a shelter. Those animals need love desperately, and you'd be doing a good deed.
I wish there was a legal way for me to strike out at the breeders selling these dogs - it's cruel, it's unhealthy, it's terrible in a thousand ways. But most of them are small enough that they're not covered by the Animal Welfare Act. And I wish there were a way that I could get through to people that animals do not make good gifts, and that they should be prepared before adopting a pet. I've tried to convince my boss that pre-purchase couseling would be a good service to offer, but she's not willing to let me try it. So I wind up spending my days explaining to people that they've been lied to, and that the new puppy they took home yesterday may not survive until Christmas, and watching things that should be bouncing, energetic balls of fluff puke up puddles of worms on my sneakers, then roll in it because they're too weak to stand up or move away.
I love the holiday season, but I can see myself coming to hate it all too easily if I'm not careful...
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no subject
Date: 2001-12-20 09:02 pm (UTC)It is frustrating to see people failing to think things through especially with something so important (like a living thing). I know how frustrated I get when ppl buy there kids the piece-o-junk bikes instead of spending a little more to get something much better (or worse want me to skip the safety check on a bike because they are 'in a hurry'). The frustration you're feeling must be orders of maginitudes more."
no subject
Date: 2001-12-21 06:59 pm (UTC)Someone who can afford $500 for a puppy is not poor. They're sufficiently well off that they can indulge that impulse to buy the puppy. I'd guess they usually buy the puppy for a child, or possibly a partner. So the puppy then takes on the aura of a "chosen gift" and the buyer doesn't like being told that they chose poorly. I imagine the first step in getting through to such a person is to alleviate their defensiveness. They probably think that the breeder couldn't have legally sold a defective pup, and are shaken to find that they've been scammed.
But there's a larger issue here. People often come into the possession of pets by taking in strays. (I know this story, having lived it several times.) Many such folks are kind-hearted and willing to buy the pet food, provide a home, etc... But they don't have the means to afford much more. They don't want to take the strays to the pound, since they've heard stories about the pound killing dogs and cats in very little time. Nor do they have the spare time to volunteer at an animal shelter. These are people who work long, odd hours and come home late. They're not contributing to the problem of bad breeders, except perhaps by letting their pets out during the day while they're away. But they do account for an awful lot of pet owners who want to do the right thing, but also have to live within sharply limited means.
I *think* that the second group - basically poor but kind hearted people - would be more willing to provide preventive health care for their pets if only they (a) knew it was available, and (b) could afford it. People in the first group - basically well off but calous - seem more likely to just want to drop the pet off at the pound once the pet becomes inconvenient and little snookums has tired of it.
I don't know though. Is that what you see?
no subject
Date: 2001-12-21 07:44 pm (UTC)I don't see wealthy but callous people refusing treatment while the Noble Poor struggle to do their kindhearted best. Or rather, I see that sometimes, but not enough to form a significant trend. There are jerky, irresponsible pet owners among all classes, and there are well-meaning, caring pet owners among all classes.
And while I'm sure you have a good point, I still believe that if a person can't afford proper pet care, they shouldn't own a pet. I'd rather see an animal humanely euthanized than watch it suffer a prolonged, painful death from a problem that could have been prevented. Yesterday we amputated a cat's leg - as a charity case, because it was suffering - from a tiny bite wound that could have been treated and healed with no long-term effects for maybe $100. But the owner couldn't afford that, so instead the cat hobbled about in excruciating pain for 6 weeks, developed a bone infection that ate off half his foot, and eventually lost the entire limb. That's not fair to the cat.
As I said, I know it sounds harsh. But if a person can't take care of a pet, they shouldn't have one. It's not a matter of arrogance, classism, or greed on my part; I didn't go into veterinary medicine to get rich or to cater to the wealthy. I do this for the animals. I want what's best for them. And that doesn't include neglect. I'm not claiming that people should be able to afford MRI's and high-end orthopedic surgery on a whim, but they should at least manage annual check-ups and vaccines.