Roundup: Loyalty and Commitment to Our Pets
No animal I know of can consistently be more of a friend and companion than a dog – Stanley Leinwoll
Our dogs are the most loyal of friends. They give us endless devotion and ask for so little in return. I’ve yet to find a more devoted companion than my dog. I couldn’t imagine having to “get rid of” her or re-home her for any reason. I made the lifetime commitment when I adopted her. I certainly hope Laika likes it here because she’s mine for life.
Sadly many dogs don’t end up with a lifetime family. 59% of pets given as Christmas pets end up re-homed or abandoned within a year. Pets are a lifetime commitment yet so many humans fail to keep that simple promise.
These are a collection of my favorite posts dealing with issues of loyalty and commitment when it comes to our pets.
- Devoted to the End – The Devoted Cat tells the tale of Frankencat and Old Grand Dad. It’s a lovely story of dedication between the unlikely pair – they became the closest of friends until the end. It’s one of the best reads I’ve had in a while.
- The Loyal Dog & Her Not So Loyal Owner – Ann from Pawsitively Pets recently shared a personal story about loyalty that really got to me. Our dogs are the most loyal companions we could ask for; yet the way we return their devotion can be heartbreaking.
- Here and Now: Falling In Love With Imperfection – Lara from Rubicon Days wrote an amazing piece on her dog Ruby. It’s written so well and articulates the way I feel about living with my dog – flaws and all.
- It’s Not You, It’s Me – Sarah from Lola the Pitty wrote this awesome article about the frustrations we face with our dogs. It’s not that our dogs are unwilling to learn – sometimes we’re presenting them with the wrong set of tools.
- Moving With Pets – It Can Be Done – Christina shares some great advice and tips on moving with your pets. Some of the most common reasons dogs are abandoned at shelters have to do with living conditions. There are ways to make it work; every pet we can prevent from going to a shelter is another life that can be saved.
- No Dog Should Die Alone – Lori Fusaro is a professional photographer and she’s a huge dog lover. She started the amazing My Old Dog community on facebook which shows how amazing senior pets are; and how much they have to offer.
- Letter to the Owner of the 12 Year Old Dog Left at the Shelter – Jamie Write wrote an amazing open letter to the previous owners of the 12 year old dog she adopted at her local shelter.
And here’s a cute video of what one family from Norway did to make their dog more comfortable while they went on vacation. By Jordan Maleverktoy.
Laika has a home for life; I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
Ugh, that HuffPost article made me bawl. Though I try to keep from judging those who surrender their pets to a shelter (because really, we have no idea what might be going on in their heads), leaving an ill senior dog at a high-kill shelter is pretty inexcusable. Senior animals in shelters positively break my heart 🙁
I love the Huffpost one – it says so many of the things I might be thinking in my head when someone surrenders an animal but dare not say because as you say – I will probably never know someone’s exact situation.
Oh wow, thanks for including my post! I am going to bookmark this so I can read some of these tomorrow.
No problem at all, when I read your post it really got to me. It’s such a heartbreaking situation.
Thanks for sharing those posts – will have to check them out. That Igor is one lucky pup.
OMD! That video was the most beautiful thing!!!!! How wonderful of them to do that for him!
Pets are for life, your absolutely right!!!!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
It is really sad that so many pups’ owners don’t keep them for life. I feel really lucky to now be with my forever family! I could never let them go! *wags* – Gilligan from wagsahoy.com
What a lovely post, perfect for the holiday season. We agree and thanks for sharing. We always try to spread the same message in our Rescues Rock campaign- do your research, do not get a dog on impulse or give one as a gift- a dog is a big commitment- for life. Love that video of Igor too. X Susie and Kilo the Rescue Pug
Definitely agree; it’s a lifetime commitment. It’s heartbreaking how often it’s broken.
Going to bookmark too – want to come back and check some of these stories out! Great post, Harley too has a home for life. A promise I made to him the first time I held him in my arms!
I haven’t read most of these, so I’m definitely going to check them all out. I’ve enjoyed your roundup posts! You’ve chosen some really great content that I would not have found otherwise. I have a feeling some of these might bring a tear to my eye, but that’s OK.
And wow, that Igor has it good!!
Well I think one of them will for sure, I know it did for me. In a very bittersweet way. I love doing these sorts of posts – I read so many amazing blogs and articles, it’s nice to be able to share them in lasting way rather than just trying to get the word out on social media.
Great roundup of posts and thank you so much for including me :). Sharing now!
Love the snowflakes on Laika’s face. While giving up a pet is not something I would encourage, I think there are times when it is better for the animal and shows just as much commitment and love as keeping it.
Hey thanks for including my article here. I really appreciate it. These sweet babes need us to advocate for them, and I appreciate you helping to remind folks of the need to be loyal to those who would never think twice about being loyal to us. 🙂
It makes me so angry that people can so casually get rid of a pet. I’m with my dogs through thick and thin, I would live in a box if it meant keeping my dogs. I just can’t understand the mentality.
After reading Ann’s post, I think I need to read these other links one day at a time. It’s too much to handle at one time.
I sometimes worry that “forever home” dogma prevents some people from rehoming pets when it might be the best thing for everyone. But as you pointed out, there are far too many people who think a dog is an object to be given away when it no longer suits their person.
In the end, many of those dogs will be fine. But their people have a serious compassion deficit.
What an excellent collection of articles….I’m still working my way through them. I can’t even imagine a dog or any pet being less than a forever commitment. But then again, sometimes circumstances do make it better for a pet to go to a different home…we never would have ended up with the most wonderful beagle in the world for 12 years if a family member hadn’t been able to admit that they just didn’t have the time for him that he deserved. But that’s a far cry from just leaving a dog at a shelter….which they never would have done.