Free Topic Week

Obviously I'm an animal lover as you've probably noticed. One of the biggest things that bothers me is when a person or family brings a pet into their home without being prepared. I've heard too many stories of people who get a dog or a cat, then two weeks later it has pooped in the house or peed or scratched something or chewed something so they get rid of it. Animals need training, and they are not disposable. The worst is when I see someone in a pet store asking questions. I once saw a girl asking the fish lady at Petsmart about keeping a goldfish. She had a little bowl that was maybe 1/2 a gallon and told the lady she wanted a fish. The Petsmart employee told her goldfish need bigger tanks with a filtration system because they will do poorly otherwise. The girl said "I don't care if it dies I just want a fish for now".

I just don't understand what goes through some people's heads. I've also heard stories of people adopting a dog from a shelter after asking questions and the shelter worker advises them against getting the dog because they do not seem like a dog would fit their life. Then they keep the dog, chain it in the backyard because it scratches a child, keep it for a year until it's too big and too untrained to be dealt with by most people, and then return it to the shelter. Well duh that once adoptable puppy that could've been trained into a great dog now has almost zero shot of getting a home. It just infuriates me, and I've just had some exposure to some of this recently is why I am bringing it up now.