But we concern ourselves with the dog or cat - their health and well being and what is in their best interest going forward - and then get busy with the challenge of reintegrating the pet into our rescue, finding foster or immediate placement and working on future adoption.
No matter how we feel about the people, we care about the pet and that is where we focus our efforts.
Every once in a while, however, a story about a returning pet REALLY gets me where it hurts.
Take our dog Dudley, for example.
Awesome adopter, great person and she chose a difficult dog that had us all thrilled to death. 3 years of love and care and beautiful pictures and posts later, everything changed. She changed.
I don't know what could possible happen to a person who would not only decide that the dog had to go because of a man who couldn't tolerate a hound's barking, but that would MOVE OUT and leave that dog behind. Never mind that she went there to meet his basic needs. Shelters do that. What about his EMOTIONAL needs? Who thinks leaving a dog behind is any kind of answer?
When I met my man, he knew I had dogs and cats and birds. He knew about my fostering and my work in rescue. Dogs barking, pooping, barfing was a given. Cat hair and claws and feeding on tables was a given. We would discuss and decide some things together, obviously. It has to be a cooperative relationship no matter what. We defined limits and boundaries and pretty much stick to them.
If he were to say to me today that his anxiety and allergies were to such a degree that I needed to get rid of my dogs or cats, or even ONE of them, I would look at him and calmly suggest that he leave. Yes, leave. A man that loves me would never ask that of me. And further, a man that loves me would never allow ME to suggest such a thing as an option!
So, while I will never understand these types of people, I am comforted by knowing that others - strangers, rescuers, others in rescue - WILL STAND UP FOR THESE ABANDONED PETS.
Thank you to them. Together, we will love and care for the dogs and cats left behind.