Who would drop a 16 year old dog off at the pound?

[auburngrad82]

this one kills me. I can't fathom surrendering a 16 year old dog who by all account is very sweet.

http://www.petfinder.com/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=5540214&adTarget=&SessionID=43aa936d2338315a-app4&display=&preview=&row=0&tmpl=&stat=

From Petfinder:

"Murphy is a 16 year old cattle dog that was surrendered to the shelter. She is housetrained but occasionally makes mistakes due to her age. She is spayed, updated on her shots, and is good w/ kids, cats & other dogs. Please offer this girl a forever home to retire in!"

I own 5 dogs, two of which are cattle dogs and three of which are seniors. I could never surrender any of them. I could rehome them if necessary but I would never dump them at the shelter.

It's sad.

[japple]

1. Maybe Murphy's owner died and the family couldn't keep her.

Or maybe the owner is too ill to care for the dog properly--not able to exercise or tend her properly. Or maybe the owner was shipped off to Iraq and there were no family or friends who could care for her. Or maybe the family split up and are now living in apartments where they can't have pets. It's very sad that Murphy lost her home, but there are tons of good reasons why a family can't keep a pet anymore, and I'm not condoning abandoning one's lifetime responsibilities to ones animals, but it could have been their only choice. I hope someone will take her and give her a good home. She sounds like a sweetheart.

[wildeyed]

2. Please tell me that is a no kill shelter.

I absolutely hate it when elderly pets are abandoned. She looks like a sweet old girl. Will cattle dog rescue take her?

[auburngrad82]

3. There are a lot of cattle dog people working to get her out

The ones who can't take her are trying to find a home and/or donating money for her upkeep. I hope someone springs her. I don't know if it's a no kill shelter. Even if it is, can you imagine spending the end of your life abandoned and in a cage?

[calico1]

4. I imagine this happens when the elderly owners

of pets die, though I don't know that is the case here. I see a few very elderly people walking their dogs and wonder about those animals and if they have taken steps to make sure they are taken care of after they are gone. This is a sad story as is any story of an elderly pet who is surrendered. Imagine living your whole life in a cozy home only to live out the end in a shelter in a cage with only strangers to care for you. I sure hope somebody takes her.

[auburngrad82]

5. The last I heard, a very kind ACD owner has offered to give her a home

A group of ACD owners are working on getting her sprung and transported as we speak. That would be a very nice Christmas present for her.

[calico1]

6. That is wonderful news!

Please keep us updated. Poor little girl. I hope she gets lots of love in her new home. She must be so broken hearted.

[theHandpuppet]

7. It happens more often than you would ever believe

Human beings can be incredibly heartless. At a local shelter where I once did some volunteering, a family came in to "surrender" their faithful, sweet 13 year old canine companion, saying the dog was too old to play and the kids were bored with it. They wanted to trade their old dog for a new puppy! (And this was not a no-kill shelter; the chances of the old dog being adopted were virtually nil. It was, in essence, a death sentence.) Thank the goddess the shelter admin told them in no uncertain terms that not only could they NOT have a puppy, but she didn't want them to EVER set foot in the shelter again.

I swear, I do not have what it takes to deal with these kinds of heartless, cruel people every day, much less the suffering, confused and lonely pets. I have nothing but the highest regard for those involved in animal rescue... bless you all!

[roguevalley]

8. poor baby. elderly and left alone. I hope she figures out what it

all means. I am sure she is missing her people. Good people out there, helping her, the angel.

[theHandpuppet]

9. Elderly pets can make wonderful companions!

The oldest dog we ever took into our home was 9; he was in such bad health (due to years of neglect) that we assumed we would be able to give him a warm, loving home for a year or so until he passed. But the sturdy little guy lived to be 16 and we still miss him terribly. Here's the story of Fergus: http://www.scote.com/rescue/dogs.asp?story=fergus