As you probably have realized I have a special place in my heart for abandoned dogs. I have gotten all of my dogs as rescues of some sort. I can't even think of buying a dog when I know there are so many animals out there waiting to be adopted and many of them wind up getting put to sleep because no one wants them. More recently (past few years) I realized how many special needs dogs were out there and how they must have an even harder time getting adopted because everyone thinks of them as "defective" or a "hassle" and no one wants to take the extra effort to adopt them and care for them. So I've decided that as soon as we have an opening on the ranch (which will not be for LONG time, lest you worry) we're going to adopt a special needs dog. Petfinder.com even has a special search category where you can search for only special needs dogs (and other animals)! I'm partial to the deaf, blind, paralyzed or missing limbs dogs. I'm especially enamored with paralyzed dogs that have little cart wheelchairs. How can you not want to help a little guy like this:
Sigh. I want to save him right now. But I'm resisting the urge. There will be plenty more special needs animals when we're ready for more dogs. But if you are thinking of adopting another animal take a minute and think about a special needs animal.
6 comments:
I did NOT say I didn't want a 'defective' pet -- I just said I didn't want a cat with special needs. I think knowing what you can handle is a responsible part of being a pet owner!
Ok--scratch "they said" and put in "Dale said" cause he did say that!
yea, he would.
And meanwhile, you're saying things like "Hey, here's a dog with 3 legs, one eye and no teeth!" like it's the one he's been waiting for. Or "this one can't hear OR see!"
Well those were the extreme cases. The ones I feel really, really bad for. And that was also just to egg you on. Clearly those dogs need someone who is serious about caring for their medical needs.
But a dog with one leg missing, how much is that "to handle"? It's not like they need any special medicine or equipment. They just have one less leg!
But anyway, my blog was not really a criticism, but more a satirical commentary to help people think about other pet choices. A lot of people want to pay hundreds of dollars for some fancy dog when there are lots of adoptable dogs available, and there are a lot of people who would consider a dog with 3 legs, or blind, or deaf, or all of the above who think they are "defective." But like you said, people need to only do what they think they can handle, but I think that people need to critically think about what they can handle and not just write off any animal that isn't "perfect."
Well, of course I agree. I think pets are lifelong partners and I get really annoyed with all the ads I see for cats that are given up because "I've had him for 2 years and my new boyfriend is allergic" or the ones who have had them for 2 weeks. On the other hand, I am hoping that they find BETTER homes than those at least.
Sandra Bullock's dogs all have special needs -- here's a picture:
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tmz.com/media/2009/04/0410_bullock_dogs_mavrix.jpg
I knew that, but had forgotten. Just another reason to love her!!!
Post a Comment