Trying to re-home your pet?

jasminesb

Thanks for all your replies everyone.

The programme will just be touching upon what is fast becoming a trend of people having to re-home their pet for a variety of reasons. We were hoping to speak to someone who due to genuine circumstances feel that finding a new home would be in the best interest of their pet to illustrate this situation.

elsien

I'm going to go slightly against the grain here and say that I know if I lost my job and couldn't get another I wouldn't be able to keep mutt for any length of time. I couldn't afford the insurance and i couldn't afford the medical treatment for all her various ailments without it, beans on toast or not. I'm not aware of any PDSA close enough for me to qualify for cheap treatment.
Only no-one is going to take on a 12 year old dog with ongoing health and behavioural problems, so realistically the end result would probably be poochie PTS.
I'm not as callous as that sounds, and it would break my heart, but if all else failed I would have to give it serious consideration.

foreign_correspondent

I can understand how in some cases it is inevitable - especially with so many landlords refusing to take tenents with dogs... but I do think the recession is a bit of a ready made excuse for some people who just can't be bothered...

Elsien, I understand your point, and tbh it is what I would do too in the same (theoretical) situation... however, the amount of people who suddently decide they can't afford the 'cute' puppy as soon it morphes into a (less cute) carpet chewing, bouncing, challenging, gangly adolescent is remarkable!

Odd, and more than coincidence perhaps

But, we live in a fast moving society where instant gratification is king, and long term commitment and continuity seems to be be scarce - a pup or kitten which lives for 15-20 years is probably a longer term commitment than many contemporary marriages / partnerships - and people circumstances do change more dramatically and frequently now than they did in the era of traditional biographies (where everyone went into the same roles as their mum and dad) and jobs for life.. it is a complex problem influenced by a whole matrix of socio economic causal factors I think!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

jasminesb wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies everyone.

The programme will just be touching upon what is fast becoming a trend of people having to re-home their pet for a variety of reasons. We were hoping to speak to someone who due to genuine circumstances feel that finding a new home would be in the best interest of their pet to illustrate this situation.

There will still be a lot of people who will see this as 'Look at poor me! I'm giving up my meowing/woofing disposable consumer product and want everyone to feel sorry for me!'

and others who suspect the programme as taking the line - 'animals are abandoned every day, shelters and rescues are under phenomenal pressure, thousands of healthy animals die - now see what is going through the minds of the people who do this' [cuts to overweight, overmanicured, bleached orange person with a vapid expression in a room filled with 50" plasma, going 'oh, well, we just can't afford the dog anymore' - not mentioning that the animal has never been taught to walk to heel, is allowed to run off and chase cats, is locked in a shed for hours at a time or is walloped frequently by the OH - while a friend down the road has got a dog about to give birth and orange person has secretly got an eye on one of the puppies]

Being dead is about the only genuine reason for giving up an animal that I can think of. Allergies are treated with antihistamines and cleaning, there are plenty of landlords that do accept pets, and anyone who can afford internet access and a computer to use it has money enough to pay for them.

Anyone putting themselves on such a programme is putting themselves on the line for a lot of abuse, whatever the production company may tell them. The only exception would be old people forced to go into homes - and showing them suffering would be evil TV.

I'll say outright that I'll be judging them, and so will a lot of other people.

elsien

Sorry, but you can't judge without knowing the circumstances. I take on board what people are saying about our throwaway consumer society, but that isn't always the case. I can think of one recent poster who is rehoming an animal due to personal circumstances that I have every sympathy with, and who is genuinely thinking of what is best for their pet and trying to make the best of a bad situation.
And yes I have a computer (which I didn't pay for) and internet access, but my internet access is £12 a month. Mutt is currently averaging out at closer to £150 pm. No comparison.

ali-t

elsien wrote: »

Mutt is currently averaging out at closer to £150 pm. No comparison.

I know what you mean. My two cost me nearly £400 per month when you take into account dog walking (for only one of them), 3 weeks worth of food costs nearly £50 for one dog, insurance is £50 for both of them and that doesn't take into account treats, wormers, flea prevention, petrol for trips to beach, training classes etc.

I'm sure if I had to I could cut that back significantly but having dogs was a lifestyle choice for me.

carefullycautious

Try Dog rescue pages. There is a private rehoming section on there for people having to part with their pets.

lowis

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Allergies are treated with antihistamines and cleaning.

i think my Ex would disagree with this...no matter how much we cleaned, shoved anti-histamines in to her, sought alternative treatments, she still had a raging allergy and ended up in hospital on countless occasions before she finally realized she could not live with her little kitties. Luckily we did not live together and I had my own flat so I rehomed them - but if that had not been the case she most certainly would have had to give them up to Siamese Rescue.

But I get your point - some people's priorities are all wrong. They would rather smoke and have a Sky TV sub than feed their own kids properly, let alone shell out for their pets

Mupette

What's that old saying that i remember from being a child

A dog is for life not just for Christmas.

I've been through a few recessions in my life, It's usually the pets that go first, not the xbox, or the luxury's, my house it would be the xbox and the luxury's to go first

elsien

I completely agree with you, i just think that some of the judgemental comments aren't taking account of the times when you've done all that, cut down all you possibly can, and it still isn't enough.