I don't necessarily think poorly of people who re-home pets for GOOD reasons. It's not really a black or white issue for me. There's so many different scenarios, etc.
I, personally, would never rehome Jackson. I can say that for a fact. Even if for some reason, he were to outlive me, my family knows how much I love him and would never let him get out of the family. He spends 2 days a week (with me) at my dads house so it's like his second home. My dad and stepmom treat him like their own and he would definitely have a place there. Besides them, I have multiple family members who love him to death, and I know would take him.
Jackson is my family, my best friend, my heart. I wouldn't re-home my child, so I won't rehome him either. I simply can't even fathom it. The thought alone makes me sick. However, if I brought in a second dog for example, and let's say after training, etc, he was attacking Jackson, or attacking family members, etc, I can't say I wouldn't rehome that dog. Jackson comes first to me so yes, his happiness and safety comes first.
My dad has neighbors who got a Lab puppy and they just keep him tied to the tree outside for more than half the day, and he's a hyper spazzy untrained dog who gets no socialization, exercise, training, etc. I wish they would find him another home. On the other hand, I dogsit an 11 month old Rottweiler who has a TON of energy, and yes they work 8hrs a day and he's in a crate most of it, but that's no reason for them to rehome him... that's why they hired me (dogwalker) to take him out 30-45 minutes per day, they walk him in the mornings before they leave, they take him to the dog park every weekend, he went to obedience classes, etc. They just make it work!
I think excuses like getting married, having a baby, etc are really lame excuses. There will most likely come a day in the next 10-15 years that I WILL be working an 8hr day or longer, and I fully plan to enroll Jackson in doggie daycare, or get a dogwalker, or take whatever means necessary to make him happy. I'm not planning on kids anytime soon, but if I do have a kid in Jackson's lifetime, then he will still be my baby boy. My aunt's Pit Bull has been her baby for the past 8yrs, and she had a baby a year ago, and she manages to split her time between the two and give them equal attention and love, and never even considered rehoming her dog. |