Pet Facts: Owning a pet

Many folks come into the rescue shop and are captivated by the puppies up for adoption... As the TLC volunteers start discussing the pros and cons of having a puppy versus an older puppy or adult, some folks start realizing they just don't have the time and money to take on a young puppy versus an older puppy or adult... 

It is believe that if a dog is in rescue or at a shelter, somehow there must be something wrong with the dog... Many times it has nothing at all to do with the dog or puppy - it is the human... Puppy was cute, it was an impulse buy, now it is tearing up their house as they work all day long and they are tired of coming home to clean up poop, piddle and destruction... Someone gave them the puppy and they weren't really thinking about getting a pet, but a free deal is a sweet deal to most folk... Next thing you know, they were not mentally prepared for the amount of time a pet requires, nor the sacrifice and the pet becomes a problem to be gotten rid of... People get divorced and during this transition, the dog has to go... Folks get older and don't outlive their pets - with no pre-planning done, generally the kids don't want their parents' pet and into the shelter system it goes... 

This is life and this is what happens day in and day out... 

Then you have the economy kicking in... Having a pet is not an expense to take lightly... They get sick, they need care, they require annual vaccinations... 

But as you can see, the majority of folks do find pets add to their overall well-being and quality of life, even in hard economic times... Senior citizens especially benefit with having a pet in their lives - it keeps us active, provides companionship, has proven to lower blood pressure and there is something debilitating in the human spirit to not have something to love... In the case of a pet, they love you back unconditionally and don't really care what you look like, how much money you have or if you are having a bad day... 

They say you can't buy love, but at TLC our response is that you can adopt happiness in this lifetime... Maybe a dog and its associated expenses are out of your budget, but there are many other homeless animals that need you... And depending on your lifestyle, one might be better suited... Our local shelter - VCAS - has all of these pet types and all of them need quality, loving homes!  So, go and adopt some happiness today!