In spring and summer, I see an abundance of people with new pets. Kittens needing homes are plentiful this time of year, and a dog companion appeals as we take our activities outdoors.
I’d like to offer some ideas on how you night find the right pet, as well as some places you might have not considered looking.
Many of us don’t get a choice when we get a new pet- especially cats! A stray will just show up and hang around. meanwhile, you begin talking to, petting and soon feeding these guys when- PRESTO!- you suddenly have a new member of the family. We really become attached to these loving, but manipulative little felines, and ultimately “choose” too formally adopt them (cinched with the first visit to the veterinarian).
Plenty of folks acquire a dog in much the same way. One client found Missy, an adorable pit mix (a breed with an undeservingly bad rap) in an unhealthy,hungry state, tied the entire day to a tree at Fair Park- obviously abandoned.
Another friend found each of her two magnificent pups around White Rock Lake. And you should see these guys now- they’re beautiful and exquisitely obedience learned.
I personally believe that strays, abandoned animals and otherwise homeless creatures make the greatest pets. There’s almost an element of gratitude in the demeanor of these once-cast-off animals. My first pet, a five-year-old miniature schnauzer, was returned to his breeder (my employer- I was a kennel girl) when his owners divorced, and neither wanted the dog. Their loss was my gain, and I have been hooked to schnauzers ever since.
My next two pets were also schnauzer rescues. “Jessie was donated to the veterinary school during my last year of school. She is a veritable “lemon” genetically, but she is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
“Susie” (not her real name) came to me as a result of the Humane Society intervention into an abusive owner situation, where he ultimately was forced to give up his neglected animals. Bob Dole has a schnauzer, “Leader,” that is wife rescued from the pound.
The pounds, SPCA facilities and Humane Societies are great places to go for a pet. An unfortunate drawback can be the potentially higher risk of taking home an animal that may become sick. The high influx of animals at theses places sets up a situation where stress and unknown health back-grounds contribute to a few animals succumbing to disease.
Such exposure is not the norm, however, and shouldn’t discourage you from looking for your pet here. The good you do is helping an otherwise homeless, unwanted creature far outweighs this risk.
