animal lovers will be happy to hear. . . . .

[craftypam]

I was never talking about those that need to give up a pet they love because they can no longer care for it. My dog was given up for health reasons of the owners. I'm talking about what Squidge said about people not taking pet ownership seriously and thinking they are disposable. The golden retriever I had was given up twice, she was food deprived, and the people b4 me got rid of her because they didn't want her sleeping near them. I feel bad for the dog; she thought I wasn't coming back every time I left her whole life.

[gottadance]

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people are being hit by the economy; also, sometimes people get a pet not fully understanding the time and work involved; others get a baby and the animal reacts badly/doesn't adjust; or they get another pet or they move - there are so many reasons people have to turn in their pets. I would much rather see a pet at a shelter than wandering the neighborhood, starving, getting diseases, etc. I'd rather even see the animal euthanized than suffering like that.

As to craigslist, I'm glad it's out there now and provides an option for people to find someone to give their animal a loving home - as opposed to having him in a shelter cage for months. That would be torturous for me. I think some people charge the rehoming fee not to make money, but because they feel if they charge a fee, their pet is more likely to go to a good home, than if they just give the animal away.

I have to say, I'd rather adopt a pet from a person who has raised it than from a shelter (especially with cats) because sometimes the shelter cats, you don't know their background and if they're litter trained, are used to going outdoors, etc. I did adopt my two bunnies from the shelter and they're fine, although, again, they are not as domesticated as I would like. I'd like to be able to hold them and clearly they weren't raised that way. Next time, I might want to adopt bunnies that were handled more.