Introduction
When I arrived in India, I was struck by one thing (to be honest there were a lot more, but now about it): how few dogs people keep as pets and as in general, Hindus are afraid of them. This fear seems to be instilled in the child from early childhood, for no particular reason, instilling in the child’s mind an unshakable confidence that the dog is a dirty animal that carries any infection, and if you suddenly get bitten! that’s it, the end – you will get sick and die of rabies! And they are all evil wild creatures who are just waiting for the opportunity to bite you.
Recent Years
In recent years, the situation began to change for the better (as it seemed to me), people increasingly began to get dogs and share a home with them … but… along with this, the number of abandoned animals began to rise sharply and the number of dog shelters sharply crept up.
Cause
There are a lot of factors because a lot of people looking at funny videos of cute puppies on the internet want to have the same fun “toys” either for themselves or for their children. They do not hesitate to buy a puppy, not having a clue about what kind of work it is! After all, a puppy as a small child needs a lot of attention and time, he needs to be taught at least to go about his toilet chores not in the house and not on the carpets and in your favorite slippers, and on the street, and also not to bite everything in a row and not to gawk for any reason. When people are “played” and it becomes boring and difficult to care for a puppy, they try to get rid of it, giving it to a shelter or giving it to some relatives, neighbors. , acquaintances.
Most Common Reason
The second common reason is material – when people can not provide for all the needs of their pet: after all, the animal needs vaccination, vitamins, antiparasitic prophylaxis, xirrigation nutrition. , regular care of hair, skin, nails. And all this is not cheap. Of course, many people do not have even basic knowledge about this and feed dogs human food: rice, tortillas, pea gravy, and even milk and cookies, and then wonder why the dog has health problems or the coat gets to shreds. Those who understand that they can not “pull” all the costs of the animal again get rid of it (this reason has become the most frequent after the covid situation, when people, due to difficult economic conditions and the inability to keep their pets, began to take them to shelters).
The third common reason for abandoning an animal is its age and illness. Dogs, like humans, are prone to a variety of “human” diseases from allergies and infections to diabetes and cancer. When people learn about the disease of the pet, which requires considerable expenses, many do not want to go to these expenses and the animal is abandoned. Often, old dogs, which are again more prone to diseases, find themselves on the street , because they need special care and attention, and they are no longer so much fun. and interesting.
The next common reason for abandoning a dog is when people move to another city, state or country and for some reason do not want / can not take the animal with them.
How to choose correct dog breed for you
Another common reason why a dog is on the street is the wrong breed of dog chosen for this family / person. Each breed of dog differs not only in appearance and size, but also has its own character and temperament, which must be taken into account when choosing a pet. Often I hear “this dog was not what we imagined” or “this is not what we were looking for in the dog.”
For example, when the “sofa potato” chooses a very active sports dog such as the German Shepherd dog and can not give the pet energy to walk for a long time and give the necessary physical activity to the animal.
Or a breed of dog like a beagle – they are very active, they like to bark a lot and loudly, gnaw on things and dig the ground. Imagine how such a dog would get along in an apartment? Some dog breeds are not suitable for families with young children. This reason can be reduced to zero, if people take the time to search the Internet for a description of the breeds, there are even special questionnaires that help you and yours to choose the right one. Lifestyle dog.
Conclusion
If we summarize all the reasons why dogs are unnecessary, unwanted and abandoned, then this is the lack of a certain mentality. Acquiring an animal should be perceived as a huge responsibility. A dog is not only a pet, but also a family member, a four-legged child in your home, who will never stop needing your care. Is it possible to imagine that a child may become unwanted or unwanted at some point, or get bored, or get sick and you decide to get rid of him? It even sounds terrible! That’s when you also think about the dog, only then think about giving him a home, loving and unique, forever …