Pet abadonment - why are mixed breeds shunned?

This time of year in the UAE depresses me! It's the time of year when 'pets' across the country get dumped, mostly by expats leaving for good or going away on summer vacation and suddenly realizing that they haven't made provision for their furry friend and all the kennels are fully booked, or they haven't put money aside to cover relocation costs, which, depending which country you're relocating to can include flights, vet checks and quarantine.

Rescue groups and shelters are bursting at the seams, with waiting lists for dogs and cats in desperate need of homes. BUT, there's one big sad reality, any time a small, pure bred dog comes up for rehoming or adoption, people line up to take it, while the mixed breed dogs can wait days, weeks, months and in some tragic cases years to find their forever home.

This is a reality that I have never understood at all. The majority of mixed breed dogs, get no bigger than knee high and it is a FACT that mixed breed dogs are generally healthier and require less maintenance than pure breds. Everyone I know with a pure bred dog, has spent a small fortune on vet bills, because they're so in-bred, that they suffer from genetic health issues, especially snub-nosed breeds and dogs with lots of skin folds.

Your 'designer' dog or a Cockapoo, or Labradoodle that you spent thousands on is STILL a mongrel anyway you want to put it.

I have two mixed breed desert dogs and they are just awesome, kind, affectionate, rounded personalities, never had any health issues (despite one of them being disabled) and I would never have anything else.

 

In short, if you're thinking about adding a furry friend to your family, please give the mixed breeds a chance, go in with an open mind and heart, because most of the time, dogs choose YOU, not the other way around and you might be pleasantly surprised. Consider the needs of any animal before adding one to your family - vet bills, relocation costs, quarantine - all the things that it'll cost you if and when you leave the UAE. An animal might only be around for part of your life, but you should be there for the entirety of its life. Dogs have feelings and being abandoned causes upset, confusion and sadness for them. They simply are not things you throw away like rubbish and if you're not prepared to be a responsible owner, then please, PLEASE do not get a pet to start with.

I applaud all the rescue groups and shelters who take on these poor souls, because all they want is a little love and a place to call their forever home.

Ah summer - the worst time of year for 'pets'.

I hate this time of year, because it's the time when so many expats leave the UAE and many leave behind and abandon their so-called 'beloved' animals. With shelters and foster carers already at breaking point, what happens to these poor once loved fur-babies?

The below 'Letter from a dog' was something that was posted recently on a forum, it's touching and heartbreaking and every animal owner should read it:

Letter from a dog:

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. ... 

Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?" -- but then you'd relent and roll me over for a belly rub.

My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect.

We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs" you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love.

She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" -- still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy.

Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a prisoner of love."

As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch -- because your touch was now so infrequent -- and I would've defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.

There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.

Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family.

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers."

You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed, "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life.

You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?"

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago.

At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind -- that this was all a bad dream... or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me.

When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited. I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room.

She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days.

As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood.

She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago.

She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?"

Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself --a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place.

And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her. It was directed at you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of you. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

Pets are for life - not to be abandoned/thrown away/left behind

It saddens me so often to see so many animals treated like disposable items, who can just be thrown out and dumped or abandoned by callous irresponsible owners. Everyday there are posts on forums and websites looking for good homes for poor helpless four legged friends.

Why do people take on animals if they can't have them for life? Expats who've brought animals over from their home countries, only to leave their pets behind when they leave, because they didn't factor the cost of flying them back, the paper work, vaccines, blood tests and potentially quarantine. Or people who've taken on abandoned animals, only to re-abandon them later on. It's like throwing a child away, animals become part of your family, they have feelings, emotions, personalities and aren't soulless creatures that some believe and then gives them the right to treat them badly.

My latest addition to the family is Chloe, a lovely little cat who was sadly left behind by her owners. She was a pet sit and they just never came back. Poor Chloe is 15 years old, so it was always going to be hard to find her a new home, but I took pity on this old dear and took her in. My other cat is 12 anyway so I thought they'd make good company for each other. Now Chloe, instead of being housed in a maids room, has a nice garden to run around in and a big villa to call home. 

People really need to stop and think before taking on animals, because pets are for life, not something you just throw away when life gets a bit hard. Animals give unconditional love and we shouldn't take that for granted.