Ohio’s humane society put pet owners on hold last week in a viral social media post as it struggled to keep up with the number of callers asking to leave their dogs at shelters.
The Fulton County Humane Society issued a rant in a recent Facebook post in which it urged pet owners to “get their act together” and “be a better human” to their four-legged friends.
Shelters in Ohio are dealing with a large number of pets dropped off by irresponsible owners. WTVG
“The number of messages we receive every week from people who want to give up their dog because they ‘don’t have time for it anymore’ or ‘it killed our cat’ or ‘it bit my child’ or ‘I can’t have it where I live’ is OUT OF CONTROL,” the post began by saying.
“The dog you chose to get and now can’t find dear because it’s not a puppy anymore, it’s not our problem.”
The message is “long overdue,” the humane society explained, noting it needs to focus its efforts on pets whose owners die or become ill, suffer a house fire or move to a long-term care facility.
Humane society officials are increasingly irritated when pet owners surrender their canines. WTVG
Shepherds, huskies, shepherd breeds and pit mixes are among the dog owners who have turned away entry to the shelter, the Fulton County Humane Society said.
“A dog is a commitment. If you think you won’t have time for it in a year, DON’T GET ONE. If you know your landlord says you can’t have a dog but you get one, then expect us to take it when you’re evicted, THINK AGAIN,” the shelter wrote.
“Some dogs require hiring a trainer. Be financially prepared to do so! Owning a dog means having time, money, and patience for it.”
The shelter volunteer behind the post that has been shared nearly 1,000 times since Wednesday told WTVG that it feels good in her chest.
“What happened has weighed on all of our hearts,” said Sarah Klopfenstein.
“They tell us things like they were puppies, and now they’re big,” she said of pet owners. “They chew on something, they chase the cat. They moved and the new place doesn’t allow dogs. They haven’t tried the things they should have done in the first place like calling a vet or a trainer.”
The Facebook post was shared almost 1,000 times and received many compliments.
Shelter director Stephanie Moore told a local news station that the situation was “terrible.”
“We have to get right to the point,” Moore said, noting the humane society received 10 phone calls in the past week alone from people wanting to dump their dogs for allegedly bad reasons.
Most Facebook users cheered the criticism.
“Pets are just like children,” said one commenter. “You’ll never think of giving your kids away because they’re not little anymore!”
“Very well said!! A dog is a lifetime commitment,” another user said.
One user, however, worried that the rant would lead to depraved people leaving their dogs on the side of the road instead of finding shelters for them.
Humane society responds, “Agree to disagree. Sometimes you have to call a spade a spade and hold people accountable.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
