Responsible Preperation

*DISCLAIMER*

This post will more than likely piss quite a few people off. It is not intended to do so. I have been quite a bit more verbal with some of my opinions as of late, and everyone should know that none of the opinions, (including and especially this one), are new to me. These opinions are coming out now because of issues that have come up that I have never dealt with before. These opinions are just that: OPINIONS. THEY ARE NOT MEANT TO BE HURTFUL OR OFFENSIVE TO ANYONE, it’s not my fault if you interpret them in such a way.

************************************************************************

I was blog surfing today, and through a link on a friends blog I happened upon a post written by a new dad that has to get rid of his dog because it is misbehaving and posing threats to the new baby. You could tell that this guy was upset over having to give up the dog, and I do have to commend him on the fact that he didn’t just drop the dog off at a shelter or list him in the classifieds, he is actually searching for a home for the dog.

My problem with this situation started when I read the comments on this post. Someone had made a comment that they are working with their dog to prepare him for the new addition to the family by using a baby doll and other ways of training. Just like when you bring a new puppy home and they have to be trained to pee outside and not to chew on shoes or the couch, they have to be trained that the new baby is not a toy. She asked the guy if he and his wife had worked with their dog before the baby came to prepare him. He said no, they hadn’t.

Of course I am going to take a dogs side in a situation like this! Who else is going to? Certainly not the parents or the close friends and family of the newborn baby! (Let em remind you again that this is directed at no one in particular, but merely something I feel strongly about, and something I feel needs addressed further than just here at my blog.)

When the average couple learns they are expecting they go crazy preparing. They childproof their home, paint, buy new carpet and wallpaper, the trade in their convertible for a minivan or SUV, they stop smoking. They re-arrange their living styles and habits to accommodate a new addition to the family. Many parents-to-be attend classes to help prepare them. All this leaves one question in my mind: What about the dog?

It makes my heart ache to think about all the dogs that end up in shelters, or worse, euthanized, for stupid reasons such as this. Shame, SHAME on the pet owner that thinks they are such good and responsible parents for ridding their children of the dangers posed by a hyper dog by getting rid of the dog!! In my opinion it makes you a negligent, because you were also, in a sense, a parent to that dog that you turned your back on. For crying out loud, I understand that life after a new baby can be hectic, but the dog doesn’t understand that, so take him for an extra long walk. Don’t think you have time to walk him…pay a kid in the neighborhood to do it for you. Got any other excuses? I’ve got plenty of solutions!!

I can feel my face flush with heat and I can tel that I am pounding the keys on the keyboard rather than pressing because just the thought of this makes me want to scream. I realize that I am a bit of an extremist on issues involving animals, (sometimes so extreme that I find myself dreaming up vigilante-worthy nicknames!), but here’s my thinking, sort of: Animals are put down everyday due to overpopulation while the world that we live in is being overpopulated by humans at an alarming rate. So, if the solution for overpopulated animals is to kill them, when are we going to start killing humans since there are getting to be WAY too many of them?

DO NOT call yourself prepared, and DO NOT call yourself responsible if you have not taken the proper steps to prepare your family pet for the new addition to the family. After all, it is their family too. There is no excuse for such negligent behavior! Maybe people who “forgot to work with the dog” are too irresponsible for a dog in the first place!

Maybe hospitals and doctors offices that provide classes and preparation help for expectant families should start to incorporate a training pamphlet or something to proved information and suggestions on preparing your pet for a baby.

Maybe there should be some regulations on requirements that need to be met before buying or adopting a pet. We have laws about buying guns, which is a constitutional right, so why not implement some laws or rules for purchasing and owning a pet? Our government has certainly spent money on more stupid things!

************************************************************************

Once again let me remind you that this is not directed towards anyone at all. I don’t even know the person who wrote the original post that sent me into this vehement rage over something that I can in no way control. I have personally know multiple families who have given up their pet for a newborn. Personally, this is something that I would NEVER do, even though Peanut is beyond capable of hurting a baby…without training and practice.

I am not going to apologize to anyone who might find this insulting or upsetting. This is my blog and my opinion. If you don’t like it, don’t read it! I am not going to ask you to apologize to me for offending me by giving up a pet, nor would I expect you to. But I would like you to do something for all of the homeless, abandoned, and unwanted pets out there: apologize to your dog for your being an irresponsible and ignorant pet owner!