My family run an animal sanctuary in Birmingham, England. There at times when we feel like tearing our hair out as some of the owners really could do with one hell of a shake; they certainly are not fit to look after a dog and some are just so uncaring it defies belief. They should not be seen as just a bit of fun which they can then get rid of when they get bored.
In more recent years I have started to become less and less involved with the running of the sanctuary. I work in other sectors including composite doors, offering a how to stop stuttering course and advising people about jobs in foster care.
Many people arrive at the animal sanctuary with their pets, which are mainly dogs, with many excuses as to why they are no longer able to look after or care for them. I am sure many of their reasons are valid but am also aware that many others are just an excuse to offload them.
The excuses they give are varied:
I have recently divorced from my husband and can no longer afford to keep this dog as a pet.
The dog has started to bite my children
The dog is too difficult to handle and is destroying my furniture
We are no longer living in a house; we are now living in a top floor flat. One of their rules is that no animals can live in these flats
The dog barks to much and it is upsetting the neighbours
Our other animals do not like the dog
The dog is affecting my health
I am too ill to look after my dog
As well as the dogs in the sanctuary we also have a few of our own “pet dogs”. These tend to be the waifs and straifs that other people tend not to choose. One such dog is called Cassie. She is full of life and has been ill treated it seems when she was a puppy. Half of her left ear is missing and she is seemingly quite afraid of men.
Cassie is need of a huge amount of care and attention. She can be too lively at times which is possibly why three people who attempted to re-home her, have bought her back. She is not aggressive in any way but does tend to jump up at people.
Cassie is turning into a wonderful dog to have around the house and now feels for the first time as part of a family.
With a little more patience most other dogs can turn out this way. This is why we want more people to take more responsibility and to give their animals more of a chance to settle into their homes, and to get used to a new set of rules.
Tags: animal sanctuary, animal sanctuary in Birmingham, dog, pets, wonderful dog
