Pets suffering in credit crunch

Bagpuss741 wrote: »

Do people really dump their pets to go on holiday:eek: My dog must be seriously spoilt as when I do go on holiday I go camping and the holiday revolves around her:D

A lot of people are just selfish (obviously you are not one of them). To a real animal lover a pet is part of the family. I can never understand how people move abroad and do not take their animals with them. I went to France and took my cats. I got a dog whilst there and although I was desperate to come back I did not until the law was changed on quarantine. I could never have put my dog and cats into kennels for 6 months.

I would no more get rid of my pets than someone would get rid of their child!

It doesn't cost an awful lot to feed our pets really, and I've noticed that the price of the pet food hasn't increase despite other price increases in the supermarkets.

Our monthly costs are:

1 medium/large dog : 20 large tins dog food + 2 bags mixer. Total £16.56 per month.

3 cats : 30 (ish) tins cat food + 3 boxes biscuits. Total £11.92

So under £30 per month for food to feed all four, which is less than a night out! Probably exactly £30 if treats/dental sticks are included. We don't buy Pedigree Chum or Whiskas though, just Asda's own or cheapest brands.

Yep, I agree with everyone.....my animals are for life...and they demand a lush one:D but I can see how people can get to a state when the stress of trying to hold it all together moneywise gets too much...when you've got to get a 2nd job so the dog is left all day and all evening as well.

I've been there, luckily a fair few years ago but rather than give up my dogs I took them in the car while I delivered pizzas, against every rule;) but at least they weren't left home alone.....pizza hut used to wonder why my car was parked down the road even when there was a space in front of the shop:D but it was tough when I was walking dogs at 11pm knowing that the alarm was going to go off at 4:30am so I could check on my horse ( and walk dogs again!) before I went to the day job. Luckily I didn't get any big vets bills then but if I had.....I really don't know if I would have been able to pay them! No PDSA as I was working:eek: After that horrible winter I got a cleaning job that paid nearly the same but only took up 1 1/2 hours a day with very flexible timings and I kept that for 3 years to basically pay to keep my animals...all I'm saying is that I was lucky enough to be flexible enough and with no other responsibilities to be able to take on extra work, other people may not have that freedom . Not that I think it's ok to dump any animal cos of stupid things like holidays, nights out etc btw!

These stories about animal cruelty and abandonment are awful - just a few minutes ago I nominated an animal rescue charity - FOAL Farm - on the charity board. So if you would like to 'vote' for it that would be great!!

I dont get how people can be so heartless and jsut abandon an animal they have taken on and bonded with.

I mean when we lived in germany we had two cats and we brought them back through quarentine but they were spoilt rotten adn we visited them twice a week - they thought all their christmases had come at once when we got home too - they lived to be 14 and 15 respectively (one had leukemia and one got an ifection she jsut couldnt fight off) but they were absolutely adored.

Now I have my jack and he is like a second child - (she says trying to fidget around with out waking said pooch who has taken up residence in her lap, even though shes sat on the computer chair with her legs up and crossed, and hes sleepign in the dip of my legs wedged under the keyboard! :eek: ) but i could never be without him - i dont know how his owners gave him up to arescue in front of us after having him 3/4 years and didnt seem to show the slightest bit of regret/remorse as they walked away and left him there petrified.

i mean even if i was really struggling it isnt expensive to feed a dog - even if you have to resort to the cheapest of cheap dog foods and the odd tin of sardines every now and then. I mean it costs all of about what? £1.50 for 3kg of dry value dog food?? even if it was only for a month im sure that could be covered so at least the dog was fed and then any scraps form your plate could top it up nutritionally if times were that hard.