Would you give up your dog - or cat - if you were moving?

That's so hard. We'll I will be thinking positive thoughts about where your dog is and how she is doing!

YAy - I'm so glad you brought him along! You tried other vets - or was it a small town with only one vet? You can't find out from the person your mom originally gave him to where he went? Good luck, and happy holidays.

Unfortunately we have lost contact with them. She was a colleague, but not a particularly good colleague. The reason why she was chosen was because she was the ONLY one who said yes. Also the fact that she lived in a huge house (not her own though. She was a caretaker of the house when she wasn't working at Auchan

I've never had a dog - but I would agree - he would be family! Sometimes apartment complexe/landlords don't allow pets. Or they charge a huge fee people can't afford. But I side with you - what if they charged the fee for your daughter or son? I'm glad I found another pet lover. For some pets aren't family but something disposable. Many families give up dogs after they grow out of the cute puppy stage. So sad.

I would worry too, but I'm sure your friends will take good care of them. We had to have our cat stay at the foster home of the foster mommy who we got her from originally for the entire month of November while we tried to find a low cost (no pet deposit and extra rent and lower rent then the air force base) and pet friendly place. We had to take out a loan - it was expensive and we had to forgo Christmas, but we found a place owned privately with landlords who have animals and love them. YAY! Now our rent is half the price of base - more then half the rent - it only $525 a month for a house and some land and a shared garden and animal friendly. We had no relatives to give her too for November, as all our relatives our far away, but it was great that the organization we got her from - and her original foster mommy - were willing to keep our kitty for a month. I wish you luck! I know how you feel - my very first cat who just passed from very old age (indoor cat OF COURSE) got out a few times and I cried as I searched for him imagining every possible scenario. And imagining him, scared and lost and maybe cold.

Yes, I agree. I could never get rid of my two cats. They are just like my kids, I have so much love for them. In fact my husband may need to go away for awhile and I'll have to move in with family..where I can't bring my cats. I don't know what I'm going to do. Since it's only temporary I have some friends/aquaintences that would take them in for me. I worry though that they won't take care of them like I do. Also my cats are strictly inside cats, they have never been outside. I worry that what if they let them out, even accidently, and they get lost and I never see them again. That just makes me sick thinking about them wandering the streets not knowing where they are, hungry, cold and me never seeing them again.

Totally not like furnture but in our throwaway society many see them as such. Kudos to both of you for loving your furry friends.

I second everything you said! They are absolutely not replaceable! My poor kitties would be lost without me!

Well don't forget artemis, last year my mother and I were being threatened with eviction, not because of the place going condo but because my mother did create a "problem" of too many cats, but I was fortunate that I was able to place them with pet rescuers...the number WAS out of control and my mother did have hoarder personality and thought out lifestyle was normal...she had a lot of emotional issues there..too long to get into here Yes, you do point out many valid reasons why a person might have to give up a pet...but personally say if things happened now...and I had to move pronto..and I looked around but didn't see any place right away I could move into ...uh, maybe give my pets temporarily to one of my friends to keep until I did find a place that accepted pets, while I was still hunting around? Yes I know the one you're talking about. To that, well about living in a car..uh, like what if one doesn't have a car? I don't, nor would I have money to afford a motel room temporarily

I would try to. But there are so many extenuating circumstances. Like what if you were all of a sudden evicted - given a month hopefully because your apartment was going to be a condo say. You work around the clock and weekends too. You need to find a place in a safe neighborhood because you have kids - maybe you're a newly single mom with several kids and not expecting alimony or child support. You don't want to lose your job. Every place you look either doesn't take pets - or the deposit is more then you have and no one will negotiate. There is also an added fee sometimes of up to fifty dollars - sometimes per pet. There are so many cases - like Sally's of people who love their animals but can't keep them.

This guy says even eviction =- any reason I gave was bullsh%^. So obviously you and oreo just don't really, according to him, love your pets. To him you're selfish - if you loved your babies you would've lived out of your car to keep you babies.

Some people don't have the time, and some have done extensive research but only find no pets allowed in decent neighborhoods (and have kids) or they have to pay a fee they can't afford. And some think animals are disposable - you know? Sometimes I wish I had a dog - but our neighbor - on the same property as us has three, and three cats, one rabbit, four doves, several chickens, two gecko, two fish - oh and two parakeets. So I get lotsov animal energy.

Your answers still wouldn't work for everyone. If someone were pregnant and had kids - living in a car? In the middle of winter or the middle of desert summer? You and the dogs would get sick. And who said anything about giving up pets BECAUSE you were pregnant. I don'thave kids, but we were actually in a hotel room for month and got into deep debt and it took that long to find a place that has cats. Not everyone can do that. There are people whose situations have them lose their jobs. It was that or continue to live on base with high rent and not be able to visit my mom with cancer ever because our budget was tight with medical bills. We were able to keep her in the no kill shelter we bought her at in the first place. Not everyone has that option. You say, just don't move there - if its a bad neighborhood - MY POINT EXACTLY - its not an option. Yet if you haven't the money to pay the extra deposit elsewhere and the complex/landlord won't negotiate - anywhere you go - and no one will accept pets again your out of luck.

I don't agree. When you get a dog or cat, you have to say to yourself "can I afford to take care of and house this living being and committ for the rest of its life unless I should become incapacitated?" There are people on fixed incomes or have gone through rough times, but their priorities are clear. I knew a woman who wasn't well off, but she rather skip lunch twice a week or do without a few things than be without her dogs, have them strave, etc. Those dogs were in the best condition of any dogs that I have seen. THey wore collars from the dollar store, but they were very healthy and cared for. People find the money somehow if something is important to them.

I don't have a dog - although I share our neighbors pets - same property. Sometimes landlords or apartment complexes don't allow it. Sometimes people think its a hassle to bring their dog along (would it be a hassle to bring a human child along).

if it's a hassle, then they shouldn't have taken up the dog (or other pet) at the first place. It's a responsibility once you decided to get a pet. I guess everybody here agrees that pets should be loved and not be dumped when you find it troublesome to fulfill your selfish needs.=D

I certainly agree - and we won't get a dog untl we own a house. However, some people, like you are taking dogs they grew up with and have no choice (if the parents won't take the dog) Too many things can happen despite knowing the responsibilities included in deciding to to be a caretaker (not an owner ecause we don't own pets like they're possessions). Your landlord could decide to sell your house and only give you a month's notice. And maybe they told you they weren't planning to sell for years. Then you have to find a house/apartment in a safe neighborhood, and sometimes you are rent controlled and are then looking at at least 800 dollars for rent or more - plus paying first and last months rent, sometimes well over 1500 dollars, plus moving fees and you may not have the money left over for a 250 dollar pet deposit and the additonal 50 dollars a month for the pet in your rent. Or you may not be able to find a place that even accepts pets You only have a month, and still have to work - sometimes weekends too - and if you don't find a place you and your dog are homeless. So alhtough, yes I beleieve dogs can't be substitute for other dogs, and that yes, we have a responsibility - I think some people have extenuating circumstances. Or some people get sick and know they can't care for the dogs, and as one mylotter who adores her animals - she couldn't afford them any longer. Things happened, we get sick, disabled, lose a job. I do my best not to judge others. Another wonderful mylotter, Pyewacket, found a loving home. We will wait to buy a home with land. There are some who know they will never own a home and land so they risk living in an apartment/house they might lose or the landlord might decide he doesn't want pets.

Yes, when they don't care about their pets. Sometimes when puppies grow up, the family decides they don't want a full grown dog!

I agree - however if you've lost your job, gotten sick, divorced or any situation where you know you can't take care of them or you'll be on the streets - make sure that you get them in with friends or relatives temporarily - and if you don't have those near by - a NO KIll shelter - not the Animal Shelter - they will kill your pet!

Some people don't put themselves in that situations - those are their choices - pet deposit or no pets allowed. Not everyone has the option to live on the street if they have family. I think you're great - another pet lover yay!!!! We stayed in an extended stay hotel for a month to find a place that was affordable and loved animals - we had to move off base as it was too expensive for us. I know other people don't have this option, but I'm so glad we did. We had to get a loan and have no christmas but it was well worth it. We love our new pet friendly place!

I guess I am lucky I have never had to pay a security deposit or extra monthly fee for my cat. But then again I just wouldnt put myself in the situation. If an apartment does not allow pets, I simply forget about that apartment as a possibility. There are always more places to live and I will only consider the ones who will accept my cat along with me. Apartments come and go, but my cat is probably my best friend in the world - he has always been there to make me feel better. I need to take care of him in return.

Its hard enough to lose a beloved pet when they die, let alone knowing they are sad and lonely somewhere without you.

A nice apartment or house should never be the reason to abandon a pet. There are reasons peple have given that I understand, but this one, never. Or because they grew out of puppy hood or are getting too old. Countless reasons like this are so sad. They're our responsibility, to love, pay attention to - get fixed! We even need to get their teeth cleaned like kids - not so they have good teeth so that they don't have internal problems like heart problems.

Hey Sarah - I'm so glad you love your kitties! Amy

I did the same when I moved to CA, I wanted to be settled and have a place - I was stayng with my sister. I don't think my mom had my cat two weeks before she was saying, sorry, he's mine now, I love him too much.. .

I love that you love your animals so much! My family were friends with another family who had a cat with diabetes and they had to give him a shot each day. That would be hard. I'm considering it with my cat though because it would be less expensive then doing it at the vets. However, we like going because they cut her nails - which is very hard with our cat -she's so squirmy when you pick her up! And they have no problem!

Yay - another furry family lover!

That's exactly the choice some have no living situation - the streets or giving their dogs up. I won't get dogs until we own a house and land, but some don't have that in their future.