Sunday, July 15, 2012

A Vacation is NO Excuse to Abandon Your Pet! (Blog the Change)

Today we're participating in Blog the Change for Animals, a quarterly event hosted by the fantastic peeps behind the website Be the Change for Animals.

(Among them are Kim Clune, Amy Burkert, Peggy Frezon and our very own Vicki Cook of Bunny's Blog, to name a few!)


This year, there is a collective push to promote a worldwide event on July 23, rallying bloggers around the need for dog rescue.

Why is there such a great need for dog - and cat! - rescue? A recent story on NPR revealed that the abandonment of the family pet has become almost epidemic in Europe during the summer months.  This is the time when many families leave their homes for a summer break that often lasts a month or longer.

Everyone looks forward to a vacation, right? Not European animal advocate groups. These people have learned the hard way that vacation time is no friend to family pets.

NPR reported than an estimated 100,000 pets are abandoned each summer in France alone, by people who either won't take their pet with them or refuse to arrange for proper care while the pets remain back home.

Claire Brissard, who runs a shelter in Chamarande, France (45 minutes outside of Paris) told NPR, "Too many people think a pet is like a stuffed animal that can be thrown away when they're tired of it."

Bringing a pet into a shelter, though, is at least less cruel than abandoning the family pet to a life of outdoor survival.


Ask Amy of Sebastian the Sensitive Soul, who years ago, found herself the horrified witness to a neighbor who heartlessly dumped their cat outside, emptied an entire bag of kibble onto the driveway, loaded up the kids and drive off for vacation.  They were gone over a week.

People who consider this type of behavior to be acceptable need to be re-educated. And local legislation needs to be passed that will allow citations for animal cruelty upon abandonment.

photo courtesy Mink (flickr) via Creative Commons
So today, we unite to blog for change, both in the U.S. and abroad. The family pet is not a stuffed animal to be discarded when inconvenient.

Be the change in your neighborhood.

If you see such behavior occur, call your local animal welfare agencies and ask about legal policies in your area - and if your neighbor can be ticketed for abandonment.

At the very least, look out for this poor abandoned animal.


If it has indeed been abandoned, perhaps you can find it in your heart to take him into your own home.

Or find a rescue group or no-kill shelter in your area that will find the abandoned pet a new loving, caring forever family.






18 comments:

  1. Very sad! While I'm sure there are times this happens in the US I can't imagine it is near that number France has,so why is it such a big problem in Europe?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sad to read. Have a very good Sunday to you and yours.
    Best wishes Molly

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know this stuff happens all the time everywhere, but I just don't understand how people can do that to a poor defenseless animal. There should be tougher laws with stiffer punishment.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, how awful. I can't imagine taking a month holiday and leaving my fur baby behind...?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mom heard a similar story and was APPALLED!! Why is this OK??? We just don't understand how any person can leave their animals - but especially just to take a vacation. sad.....

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey, we treat our stuffies better than that! That is outrageous! Humans are evil.

    ReplyDelete
  7. More and more people in the UK are dumping their animals because of the economic situation! It is absolutely no excuse. They don't even take them to rescue centres. I am ashamed, to be honest :((

    ReplyDelete
  8. clapping our paws in a standing ovation for YOU! Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey Ryker, Hey Farraday, Hey Allie, Jet here.

    OMDog! Thank you for bringing this to our attention... Besides horrific, I want to put out a big DOH... what are those humans THINKING???

    I agree with Catachresis about dumping because of economic woes; we see that in our area too. But just for vacation... WHAT'S WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE???

    Oh, I'm working myself up into a lather (vocab builder)... arghhh

    ReplyDelete
  10. 100,000 pets abandoned each summer in France? Thanks so much for Blogging the Change by raising awareness about this disgusting practice!! I'm simply stunned.

    Kim Clune
    Director
    BetheChangeforAnimals.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. How sad. I don't understand how anyone could just leave their pet like that? How can people be so selfish and uncaring?

    By the way, great post!

    ReplyDelete
  12. We can't believe how humans can be so cruel as to abandon their pets.

    ReplyDelete
  13. TBT says that he would never talk again to annyone who did that! And so far he doesnt know annyone who did.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow... I had no idea that this sort of thing was so prevalent! I can't even imagine what kind of person abandons his or her pet simply because it's easier than arranging for vacation care. Simply despicable.

    Thanks for drawing attention to this practice!

    A.J.
    BetheChangeforAnimals.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. This makes my heart break. Today, it is becoming a bit easier to bring our pets on vacation with us. If not, there are even pet sitters who will come to the home as many times a day as you need, and even sleep overnight in your home to take care of your pets and make sure they have the attention and care they deserve. How can some people see their pets as disposable?
    Peggy
    btc4animals.com
    http://peggyfrezon.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I Retweeted the quote Sunday. We know someone whom we love, but when she would come to visit us, she left her two indoor cats with a pile of hard food and water for up to 2 days and nights while she was away. No one to clean their litter box, only one, and no one to check on them if they got hurt. Very bad. If peeps can't be reliable Guardians they should not adopt us.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Today we celebrate Bloggers Unite For Dog Rescue! Here is one dog that is just sport'in the cause ... Rescues make great pets.

    We take her on vacation! She loves the adventures : )
    http://marthasteward64.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/shes-a-kayaking-dog/

    ReplyDelete
  18. Nice write up.I know this stuff happens all the time everywhere, but I just don't understand how people can do that to a poor defenseless animal. There should be tougher laws with stiffer punishment.Thanks for sharing.
    puhkemaja

    ReplyDelete

Coolio! A comment? For US?