Oh Dog! Do you know what day it is?
That’s right! It’s Dear DeDe Day! YAY!!!!!
Today I have some advice for all you wonderful people that post and cross-post pictures of animals in need of placement.
PLEASE stop all the negative comments about the people that surrendered the animal.
Why? Because those comments leave a bad taste in the mouths of people who might otherwise be able to help you find placement for that animal.
Ask yourself this: If I went shopping for a used car and the salesperson talked bad about the previous owner, would I want to buy that car?
Oh, but this is different! This is a living creature!
Is it really so different?
How many people have you heard say they prefer to get an animal from a breeder because of the potential baggage rescue animals carry?
And where do you think they get that idea? Maybe one place they get that idea is from us.
There are lots of good people out there working hard to get animals physically and mentally healthy for forever homes.
Let’s don’t plant seeds of doubt about those animals by saying bad things about the previous owner. Even if it’s true.
We need to convince people that rescue animals make great pets. That’s the only chance we have to stop the demand that keeps puppy mills in business.
Dogpaddling Through Life 
Rescue animals do make great pets, they’re often in shelters through no fault of their own and we do tend to make assumptions about the people that surrender them. Even though I would rather live with my parents than give up my dogs, not everyone feels that way and I would rather a dog or cat be given another chance to find their forever home than be stuck in a home where they’re not wanted or properly cared for.
Since we usually don’t know the circumstances surrounding the surrender, it’s best that we don’t make assumptions that can reflect poorly on the animal who hopes to find a forever home.
I agree wholeheartedly, it is a bad habit and the focus needs to be on finding the animal a new home rather than where they have come from.
Hi DeeDee, Mollie here. Everyone in this house is a rescue. I didn’t know there was any other kind of pet. We are all wonderful (except Jake who hogs the food dish!) and gorgeous! The alternative to surrendering to a shelter is to dump off and that is not a good thing for a house pet.
Yes, and even though there are many no-kill rescues, it doesn’t mean any are able to take in an animal. We recently found that out with those feral kittens. Lots of referrals, but no takers.
Hi Dear DeDe! Yes, DeDe…you’re so right!!! I think that my mom’s learned many thing about rescue animals and feral kitties from you, Rumpy, June Buggie and the other pals through blogs, twitters etc, that obviously make her see things differently than the time she saw them before. I think that it’s good for humans get educated each other for helping those innocent animals!!! 🙂
Thanks Kevin! Sometimes how we say something is just as important as what we say. Right?
Ah! I get what you are saying!!! DeDe says don’t diss the dissers, the rescues need all the good publicity they can get 🙂
Like it or not, it’s up to us to “sell” people on adopting rather than buying. So let’s start acting like salespeople.
Great point, Dede. always best to put the emphasis on the pawsitive!!!
Happy Sunday to all.
Woos – Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning
*sings* Ya gotta accentuate the positive….. *
I never thought of it that way DeDe. You make a very good point. Thanks!!!
I’m not trying to hurt any feelings. I’m just putting the best interest of the animal first.
Thank you for addressing the topic of negative comments on Facebook. Recently, we rescued a sweet senior who was surrendered by an owner who could no longer keep her due to personal circumstances. She had scheduled the dog for euthanasia rather than bring her back to the shelter where she came from.. Whether she was making the right decision or wrong decision was irrelevant. The dog needed rescue. Everything was set for us to get her and someone made very negative comments on Facebook that almost stopped the surrender to us. It took some discussion to convince the already distressed owner that she was doing the right thing releasing her dog to rescue. What if she had not?? Those negative comments may have cost this sweet dog her life. It is not up to us in rescue to judge, but to get the animal to a better place. No matter why the dog was surrendered; if they were with someone who just didn’t want them or couldn’t take care of them, .the dog is going to have a chance with a loving home with the resources to take care of them and will ultimately be better off.
Thanks for sharing that story my friend. This is something that’s bothered me for awhile, and I’m sad to hear what could have happened.
You are absolutely right! It is wrong to assume that the family/person who surrendered the animal had bad intentions or were bad owners. For all we know the loss of that animal could have been devastating for them. The only proper thing to do is to be positive for the sake of the animal so they can find a forever home.
Thanks. Yes, it has to be about what’s best for the animals, and not about what humans want.
Good Advice DeDe!
Thanks guys. You know the odds are against us and we need all the help we can get.
Love all this. Love dogs & cats & birds &…..and trees, of course, and plants and …. Am following 🙂
ps: my cat companion is a street kid who ‘rescued’ herself by moving in. What do I say about her previous owners? That they must still be heartbroken & they must be amongst the loveliest people in the world ’cause my lovely fluffy girl is the sweetest natured affectionate little friend.
Thanks for letting your street kid rescue herself with you! And thanks for the follow!
Brothers Henry and Oliver are shelter rescues and I’m a backyard rescue. I might have a biased opinion, but I think we are great pets. Now, if you’ll excuse Me, I’m going to go demand some pets from the Guardians!
I had a friend who was dying of ovarian cancer and had enough to worry about besides finding a home for her two cats. She had no choice and was very distressed about bringing them to a shelter. I really didn’t want two more in my smallish apartment however, I promised her I would take them. What a weight from her shoulders. One of her cats was very sick and died soon after she did. I was able to take the other one and give it a second forever home. I was happy to do that for her.
Had I not taken them they would have had to go back to a shelter. Should you say negative things about her? We don’t know why people give up a pet. Who is anyone to judge? Frankly, I’d rather have the animal in a shelter than live with someone who doesn’t want it and won’t take care of it.
Thank you for sharing that. We never know the reasons why animals end up in shelters, and the name-calling bothers me for that reason.
if not for those people I wouldn’t have known the love of Paco, Buddy, Petals, Blossum and any future furry friiends I bring home. I wish it wasn’t so, that so many needed good homes but I love your message.
Whee agree. Our Mummy is writing a book about rescue animals. Yes, some have issues that need work but the majority do not and even if they do they usually go on to become incredible family pets.
Most people don’t realise (particually in the UK) just how many GUINEA PIGS are waiting for homes in rescues. It is not just dogs and cats.
Nibbles, Nutty, Bingo & Buddy
xxxx
Negativity is never a good thing, especially when it can impact the future of a living creature in search of a good family. There’s really no need to weigh down his/her chances of finding a Forever Home with negative talk. Good post – food for thought! 🙂
I hear you Rumpy and besdies, you lower yourself in a way when you do that.
Our two rescue cats, Jean-Louis (a male) and Reggie (a female), both want to say a loud meow-meow to your message. We’ve been together for 3 years and they are family. I hope all those at shelters are lucky enough to find loving, forever homes.
DeDe, you are smart, just like everyone else in your family! Thank you for another perfectly written post. xo Berner Girls
DeDe, I FULLY AGREE! The decisions people have made should not be visited on the animal. I’ve posted a few whose owners just wanted to “get rid” of them or claimed allergies or whatever, and I don’t care–what matters is that an animal needs a home and that’s what I’m concerned with. And I really can’t stand all the vitriol people waste their energy using when people have “dumped” an animal. Use that energy on hope and love, not anger and hatred.
You are so right. Some peeps are forced to give up their beloved pets and are heart broken about it, too. They can be sick, in financial trouble or have any number of reasons they can no longer keep their animals. All our mom’s pets have been rescues or ferals. She would love to have a purebred, but with so many animals in dire need of a home, she goes to rescues.
Great advice DeDe. Judging is not fair.
Bella and DiDi
Great post DeDe. It takes a dog to look at things properly. People who surrender animals are doing the right thing within that situation – better than, horrible to say, abandoning them, DIY euthanasia, neglect etc, and happily some of these occurences may be lessening as people have avenues of placing animals at rescue shelters so they can be re-homed. Sure, it may be they made a bad choice or with the best of intentions acquired a pet from a pet shop, puppy mill or wherever but we all have done this about something from time to time, or things change. There are many reasons why people surrender pets but by doing so they get another shot at giving & getting love. When I was much younger, and knew hardly anything I acquired 2 rescue cats with the best of intentions but my life changed and I moved from the country to the city & a high-rise apartment. I cried & cried thinking it wasn’t a fair life for my furry-ones & I thought surrendering them was the only thing but we all hung in there, made some adjustments & also acquired Bo-Dog. I was lucky, I kept my fur-familiy intact & for 17 years it was as much about their needs as mine, but many aren’t so fortunate to be able to make the changes I did, and I can never judge them wanting because I had my feet in their shoes, so to speak and I never want to to be in that position again.
Great advice DeDe!
The gratitude that you’ll experience with a shelter dog is simply out of this world! I know [our dog was an abandoned puppy] and most of our friends live with rescued dogs.
Very well said. Let’s all use our energy constructively. The human race is all too ready to judge.
You are very wise Dee Dee! I wish the two legs were as wise as you are!
Since 1973 when I graduated from high school, all my pets have been rescued from animal shelters (except for one dog that was rescued from a Chinese couple who were going to eat it for Thanksgiving).
We have a rescue cat who had been in foster care for almost a year. We are grateful that he had such caring foster parents while he waited for us to find him. I’ve had cats all of my life and he is, by far, the happiest, most lovable cat I have ever met.
That is all so very true. And putting an animal in a different environment is what develops their personality so it really has nothing to do with where they came from. Nothing better that a dog or cat that has been rescued. Great post.
This is a great advice. Here in Indonesia, we don’t have a place where people can give up their pets…I wish there is a place like that here.
I want to adopt more reptiles
Dee Dee yous is so right!
Kisses
Nellie
Dear DeDe,
I agree completely. As a matter of fact, I believe people should know that whatever a previous owner did is Not the fault of the animal. All the more reason the rescued animals need a good and loving home. The same goes for people. Children are taken out of abusive environments everyday, and we do not blame the child for what has happened to them or where they came from. We should focus more on what a rescue home can offer and what the new owner and the pet can gain from each other. Which is a Lot! Anyone out there reading this have a testimonial to this very fact? I bet there is…
-Cindy
DearDeDe, how very wise you are to instruct us to leave out any negativity whatsoever when working to get good forever homes for shelter animals and stop the puppy mill businesses.
yep…what we say about the previous owners just ends up reflecting on the cats and dogs…all that matters is the fact that the animal is alive, well and cared for. History is history…some people don’t give up their animals with great pain…and at least, like me, some people do take us to the shelter rather than just dump us in some forest, or roadside or whatever. I’ve got your back on this one DeDe
Great post! We have had several rescue dogs and they have all been great pets!
Gosh, you know this is just as true about our rebound relationships. You know, or buying a used car or whatever. Previous owner didn’t… survey says: XXX! Love and attention in exchange for same… survey says: Number 1 answer!
i agree with you. Considering we need to get more and more people to adopt animals instead of buying them off breeders who make an obscene amount ruining lives, it is important we do what we can to ensure these homeless creature have the right home that loves them and cares for them. Thought-provoking post.
Thanks! And thanks for the follow. It’s nice to meet you!
Woof! 😀
I’ve had 6 rescue dogs over the years and they all made great pets.
DeDe this is so important. “Used” pets are the best pets!
(And we need to remove any barrier that might prevent people from surrendering pets they cannot keep – leaving them in the house after it’s abandoned or tossing them on the street is so cruel. We need to cheer responsible people who cannot keep their pets but try to give them a chance at a second home.) Thanks and nose bump, DeDe
Good advice!
Thanks!
Yeah, that’s a good point. I won’t do that!
Thanks for letting me camp out in your blog for a little while. I had a great time and tried to leave my campsite as clean as when I arrived. I’ll be back!