After reading this article from the Washington Post this morning, I was ready to give up on humanity. Apparently the recent strain on the US economy is forcing families to make financial sacrifices, and one of them is giving up their pets and sticking them in shelters. Well-behaved, deserving pups out on the streets!
(By Lois Raimondo — The Washington Post)
I of course cannot make a blanket criticism of these people. I don’t know the circumstances of their financial issues, but the article mentions that some families are simply dropping off their pets because they cannot afford medical bills or to even feed them. I am sympathetic to that. But if I were to take a pet into my home, he or she is like family–to me, this is like throwing a family member out. What if every time our stocks went down, we said, “Hey Sport, sorry…we just can’t afford to feed you anymore. So uh, you’re gonna have to leave. Hug your sister goodbye.”
I really wish I could take in a few of these lost pets, even to just serve as a foster parent. Unfortunately, tiny New York City apartments are barely conducive to human living, much less housing an animal. Animals need exercise and sunlight, and evidently I can get along fine without it! (Or at least, I have been.) I try not to think about it too much, lest my roommate come home to this:
You really love animals, don’t you?
-If it gets cold enough.