Interesting Article

[pressmom]

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I think this was from My Turn in Newsweek.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19875405/site/newsweek/from/ET/

Yay, for the author. I'm glad he cared so much.

I was horrified by the comment of the man calling cats "a dime a dozen" and that he "ran over one" the other day. Some people.... 😡

 

[Mama070609]

I feel like this is something totally up to the owner. Each situation is different. Sometimes an owner will come to the conclusion that an animal would only suffer needlessly should he/she have procedures performed to prolong the animal's life (much the same way that some people would not want to be placed on life-support). Sometimes an owner may want to prolong the animal's life, but really does not have the funds to (and stands the chance of not being able to keep a roof over their head and food on the table if they attempted to pay for such procedures). Obviously, there are options, such as adoption by someone who can afford to pay for the medical procedures...although those options are not always available. Personally, I think that people need to refrain from making judgments of other pet owners for well-thought-out decisions made about these matters. The back-and-forth belittling that sometimes occurs because one person thinks that everything should be given to save a pet's life regardless of one's financial well-being, while another person thinks that pets do come 'a dime a dozen' and aren't worth the effort of medical care in the first place, should not take place. Both are extreme views that show a bit of ignorance about individual situations.

 

[Serendipity4]

I agree with Mama about not judging people who have made well-thought-out decisions and I agree with Mama about people who say pets are a 'dime a dozen' or people who say that everyone should save every pet at every cost is showing some level of ignorance. It's hard, because I think I would likely pay 11,000 (or more) to save one of my pet's lives if I thought they wouldn't suffer more because of that decision, (although I suppose this is part of why I'm glad I'm going to be a vet.... good discounts! 😉 ) , but I also highly respect people who must make the difficult decision that they cannot afford such a costly treatment. Basically, as long as they have given it much thought, I tend to support their decision.
That said, I do tend to have a difficult time understanding some of the owners who bring in a pet who needs a relatively inexpensive procedure and they admit they simply don't think an animal's life is worth that when they can easily just go pick up another dog or cat. To me that seems to suggest they've given little thought to the animal itself and merely have the dog or cat for the enjoyment having a pet brings to THEM (the person). Also, I will admit that I have little sympathy (and this is likely judgemental on my part) for people who want convenience euthanasias. If you got that Lab not realizing it was going to chew everything for two years, or that high energy dog that you didn't realize would be "so hyper," and you don't want to keep that year-old, not quite so puppy-cute dog anymore, for goodness sake go through the trouble to find the dog a new home. And no (unless it really does have severe separation anxiety, etc.), I honestly don't believe your dog is too attached to you that he or she will not enjoy its new home. And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't get another dog unless you actually research the breed(s) you're getting. Already, I'll stop ranting now...