I'm standing at the counter of the North County Animal Shelter in San Diego paying for my dog's license when I hear a nearby cry. It's a puppy in one of the intake cages for new residents of the shelter. She's crying because standing right behind me is the boy who brought her in.
"Can I leave this for her," he says trying to avoid eye contact with his former pet. "She likes it." "It" is a rubber duck. The volunteer smiles and says that she'll make sure she gets it.
The dog, a young lab, less than 6 months old, is yelping away trying to paw it's way out of the cage. I offer to take the toy to the dog and the volunteer says it's OK and thanks me. She doesn't want the toy. She doesn't care to be pet. She wants to go home. Her home.
I ask the volunteer why the boy needed to leave the dog and she tells me that the dog is a return. She got a urinary tract infection and they couldn't pay for treatment.
Over a third of the cases that I've seen when researching material for SeniorPooch.com where a dog was surrendered because of the owner's financial hardship. What the story above tells us is that this isn't a unique phenomenon to older dogs, however as a senior dog owner, you should recognize that just as we humans require extra care as we age, so do our canine companions.
"Can I leave this for her," he says trying to avoid eye contact with his former pet. "She likes it." "It" is a rubber duck. The volunteer smiles and says that she'll make sure she gets it.
The dog, a young lab, less than 6 months old, is yelping away trying to paw it's way out of the cage. I offer to take the toy to the dog and the volunteer says it's OK and thanks me. She doesn't want the toy. She doesn't care to be pet. She wants to go home. Her home.
I ask the volunteer why the boy needed to leave the dog and she tells me that the dog is a return. She got a urinary tract infection and they couldn't pay for treatment.
Over a third of the cases that I've seen when researching material for SeniorPooch.com where a dog was surrendered because of the owner's financial hardship. What the story above tells us is that this isn't a unique phenomenon to older dogs, however as a senior dog owner, you should recognize that just as we humans require extra care as we age, so do our canine companions.