Dog dropoffs/abandonments?

Britt Caleb & Enzo said:

How often do they happen in your area? I live in a rural community, and it happens much too often here. Is this a problem in anyone else's community?

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Oh my Lord Britt C & E....
It happens all the time over here where I live. All over my city really. But here where I live it happens at least 4 times a week, especially during the Spring and Summer, all year around, but esp. during Spring and Summer.

It's so sad. That is really how I have gotten all my past dogs. Misty, Zeke, Blue Boy, Macho, Hooch, Xena, Maverick and so on and so on... all my childhood dogs were strays that were dumped off here. My parents used to jokingly tell people that there was an invisible sign in our front yard that said "Dog Drop-Off or Dog Hotel" that only strays and people that would dump them off could read.

That is how I got my Jodie. There are so many strays all over the place right now... as of this month the recent two strays we are trying to catch (I work with the SPCA) are two Pit Bulls that were dumped off, a male and a female both emaciated... they are aggressive though... so it has been hard to capture them.

The thing I dont get is... I've noticed that alot of places have Shelters that charge you to dump off dogs, here THEY DONT CHARGE! and people still dont take them there!!! It drives me crazy. The way I see it though is, they think they are doing the dogs a favor by dumping them off in a neighborhood or in the country... but they dont understand that in doing so, they are causing terrible problems. The dogs sometimes dont find homes, they get run over by cars because they are terrified, they dont know where they are... they tear up peoples trash and end up getting shot and so on and so on.

Sigh... so yea in conclusion It is a terrible problem here.
Nessa

Edit to Add: and alot of the times they are pregnant females that are dropped off, or just bred females... they dont want to deal with puppies so they load them up and drop them off somewhere. Misty and Xena, both childhood dogs of mine (mentioned above) ended up being pregnant (when I was younger my parents and I werent super dog savy and wouldnt get them to the vet right away to have them checked out, or else we could have prevent the puppies being born). Anywho... they were both pregnant and had 12 puppies each... had them here and we went through the SPCA and found great spay/neuter homes for all of them.
Nessa

It's just so crazy how people can do it... pack the dogs up in a car... and PUPPIES! and drive somewhere and just leave them.... while the dogs look at the car like "Hey wait for me!".

Jaime Bear, a 10 week old mix pup was dumped out in the middle of nowhere and thanks to James loving to off road in secluded places, we found him.

4 years back, someone dumped 3 six week old pups down the road, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD! in a cardboard box... I dont know if they wanted them to be run over or what. But thankfully I stopped to move the box out of the road to avoid an accident, and what did I find? Some beautiful innocent pups... We took them in and found them some great spay/neuter homes.

The worst thing about all this is... It will NEVER end... people will never value an animals life as much as a humans life. Well Damn! I mean if we still have idiot mothers dumping their babies and kids off... how in the world are we going to stop animals being dumped?!
Sigh... people drive me crazy...
Nessa

I live in a rural area too and its a pretty big problem here; although its mostly cats. I've taken in many abandoned animals...

Eddie was dumped. Before he made his way to my house, my neighbor's said that they had seen him hanging around close to our road for a few days. He finally made his way to my house and barked at my door, wanting in. It was in the middle of winter and was freezing outside...He turned 2 years old last October.

My cat, Gus, was abandoned. I found him as a kitten sitting in the middle of the road. My boyfriend almost ran him over but saw him just in the nick of time...He'll be 5 soon...He was a pretty young kitten. I think he was old enough to be weaned but he seemed like he didn't know how to eat solid food. He just would shove him face in it and try to suck it up...lol

My cat, Fred (RIP), I found as a stray about a month before I found Eddie. He was about 2 years old and was a very sick kitty when I found him...I lost him last year.

My old dog Dan (RIP) was also a stray. He made his way here when he was a pup of about 5 months or so. He was my boyfriend's dog and when I met my boyfriend and eventually moved in, Dan was already pretty old...some members here probably remember when he passed away...I still miss that old guy terribly...He was about 15 years old when he passed...

There was Charlie, a Cocker, who was probably around 7 or 8 years old. He was VERY aggressive toward people but seemed to really like us. He escaped my yard and was hit by a car. When he first showed up, he looked like he had been very well cared for, he even looked like he'd just been to the groomers...I'm not sure if he was actually dumped or just lost...I tried to find his owners but no one claimed him.

There was my boyfriend's old cat, Hank. He has been gone for about 6 or 7 years now. My boyfriend found him when he was a kitten, laying in the driveway. Hank was so young, my boyfriend's mother had to bottle feed him.

There have also been many that I tried to get and failed and I remember each of them. It's very depressing to think about.

The cruelty of abandoning an animal is just beyond my understanding. I will never get how someone could throw out another living being like they are a piece of trash and never think about them again. I always wonder if the people that "threw Eddie away" (because that is what they did) ever wonder what became of him. I hope they lay awake at night wondering and I hope that they feel horrible regret. When I saw that innocent little puppy cowering in fear at my door, I have never felt so angry in my entire life. I still get angry when I think about it for too long...lol Although, I'm very glad that I have Eddie in my life and I know, without a doubt, that he was meant to be my dog, what those people did to him is just...horrible.

I'm so glad there are angels who rescue some of these poor, unloved animals and give them the love and care they so badly need.

When I was a kid, a relative -- an EVIL, DISGUSTING, SICKENING relative -- abandoned the beautiful Golden Retriever we had because he "barked too much" (can we say, LACK OF TRAINING??). Just drove him off into the "country" and abandoned his sweet self. We drove around everywhere looking for him, for days. I was heart-broken and didn't speak to that relative for YEARS because of that (in fact I still get angry and this is 20 years later).

For the last 20 years, I've thought about poor Jake the Golden Retriever often... imagining him all those years ago and how afraid and lost and confused he must have felt, and probably getting hit by a car or dying of starvation. It still makes me sick to my stomach and so sad. My only comfort was that at least we didn't see him unconscious along any of the roads anywhere near where he was left. I can only hope that he had an "angel" like so many of you who took him in and cared for him and loved him like he deserved.

Anyone who would do that to a sweet domestic animal should be SHOT.

I've never understood why people dump animals...I mean, really. If you know longer want your animal, there are plenty of shelters, rescues, and individuals who would be more than happy to take your dog.

I remember when we found Brownie. I was talking to one of my classmates at school (I was in grade school) and was telling her about the dog we found. Low and behold, she said, "Hey, they sounds like Shelby. My dad didn't want her anymore so he dumped her off." Even at that young age I knew that was wrong.

I always wonder who Blackie's original owners were. He was dumped off as a five or six month old puppy. I just can't understand how someone could do that. I look at him now, thirteen years later, and can't even begin to imagine my past without him in it. How someone could just throw away something as precious as him...I don't understand.

Like the Basset I found. I'm pretty sure he was dumped off, just because of where I found him and the fact that no one has been looking for him. He is a WONDERFUL dog. Sure, he marks because he's intact and he bays when he is left alone, but he is such an easy going, roll with the punches type dog. First time wearing a collar? No big deal. First time riding in a car? No big deal. Going into a vet clinic to scan for a microchip, get a bath, and get blowdried? No big deal. Have dogs barking at him in said vet clinic? No big deal. Someone is missing out on one hell of a dog and to think that someone might have intentionally thrown him away? It is horrible.

Ugh... people keep telling me Enzo is "too cute and too well-behaved" to be an abandon. It seems like everyone I meet has the same reaction, "Who would drop HIM off? He's just soooo cute!!" Obviously someone didn't care how "cute" or how "well-behaved" he was when they dropped him on our doorstep.

Cuteness aside, NO animal deserves to be dropped off like a piece of garbage on the side of the road to be left for dead. I honestly don't think these people care if the animals find a home. If that was their concern, the humane society is about 10 miles up the road. Take them there where they will at least have some sort of a chance. That's much better than the poor animal getting run over/starving to death/getting shot if they go to the wrong person's house.

Enzo has been such a huge blessing. As awful as the circumstances are, I am glad he is with us in a warm, loving home with two people that care deeply about his well-being and who only want the best for him.