Should You ‘Get Rid Of’ Your Dog?

Animal shelters are overloaded with homeless pets because there are far more animals than there are people looking to adopt. Rescue organizations can be seen just about every weekend hosting adoption events, and even television and radio stations have spots dedicated to helping find homes for animals in need.

In spite of knowing this, an astonishing number of people make the decision to “get rid of” their dog. Occasionally there are legitimate reasons for re-homing an animal, in cases where every possible thing has been done to make things work before giving up on a pet.

However, you may be surprised that the majority of people looking to give up their pet are doing it for reasons such as jumping up, barking, they are moving, or having difficulty paying for food. While these are certainly legitimate problems, they are not necessarily reasons to get rid of a pet.

It is the responsibility of every pet owner to do every possible thing to keep their animal, and the community provides many options to help. For example, the Wake County SPCA (www.spcawake.org) hosts a Pet Food Pantry to help people who can’t afford to pay for pet food. A visit to the Wake County Pets and Animals page (www.wakegov.com/pets) links to a multitude of low cost spay/neuter and veterinary care options, vaccination clinics, and even has a special Pet Friendly Housing directory. The library offers free Internet access for those who don’t have it at home.

As for behavioral issues such as barking, jumping, chewing, housebreaking, or other problems, a little training goes a long way toward teaching pets to live within the rules of their home. There are many options available to fit any budget or schedule, including private training in the home or convenient group classes in the community.

As with many other challenges in life, finding a way to keep your pet is the right thing to do. Before “getting rid of” their dog, one should be able to look themselves in the mirror and say, “I absolutely did every possible thing to work this out before I gave up on my pet.”