There are many disturbing trends with today’s poor economy, high foreclosure rate, and increasing prices of everything. Even more apparent in the rural areas, there is one more trend not getting media attention: pet abandonment.

For whatever reason, pet owners take their once beloved pets for a ride down some rural dirt road, stop the car, open the door and let their pets out, then make a hasty retreat.

They justify this with “someone will take them in, they are good dogs.”

Reality is much bleaker. Your pet, once abandoned by you typically has one thought, how to get back to you. 

Those “nice” country folk you are depending on to take care of your once-loved pets — news flash — they have their own pets. The chances are extremely slim that someone will take your pet into their home.

We are not evil folks, we have pets. Is your pet a carrier of the deadly and contagious parvovirus? Are the shots current? Is there an underlying health issue we are unaware of? Is your pet mean? Does he or she get along with children, other pets, men or women? We do not know the answers, and typically it would be irresponsible for us to bring them into our homes and risk our pets and families.

Recently, it appears that someone dumped a Shih Tzu and what appears to be a Chihuahua-terrier type dog west of Hollandale. 

We see them, but we don’t know if they are abandoned or just wandered away from a nearby home across a field.

Now the dangers for your pet:

Fast cars along dirt roads — sometimes driven by vicious drivers who “try” to hit dogs alongside the road. Your beloved pet may be struck and left injured to die.

Harvest season is here, if they curl up around machinery or hide in a field, they are subjected to a violent death because an operator cannot typically see “where the rubber hits the road” and may run over an abandoned pet solely because the tires are blind spots. Springtime is planting with similar risks.

Winter approaches, and many may freeze to death.

They may starve to death as they grow to distrust everyone, even those who would mean them no harm and try to give them a decent meal and some water.

Dumping your dogs condemns them to a most likely violent, horrible death. Take your pets to a shelter, at least euthanasia is more humane than leaving them to die where you don’t have to witness it, where you hide behind your beliefs they live on when their mangled bodies litter the ditches. Better yet, find them homes where they can continue to be loved with someone who you can give the needed medical and behavioral history to.  This trend can be reversed; pet owners need to be fully responsible for their pets, to the point of finding a new home if they are unwilling or unable to keep them any longer.

Barbara Babb

Clarks Grove