| When I'm not cute and cuddly anymore | |||||||
| by BUDDY AMATO | |||||||
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Today's column is going to be dedicated to all those people who suddenly develop allergies or other comical symptoms that mysteriously appear when their puppy/kitten is note a cute, little, easy-to-manage member of the family. All too often, I see dogs or cats being returned or I get phone calls from seemingly very upset owners. I am told these people need to find a new home for their once loved and cared for part of the family because, all of a sudden, they realize they are now allergic to the pet.after a year or two of ownership. First of all, let me make it clear to all the legitimate people who suffer from real allergic problems that I am not targeting you., Instead, probably is 5 out of 100 who use the excuse are truly allergic. The problem I have with this is the following: What would happen if you developed an allergic reaction to your own child? I find it difficult indeed to believe that after having a pet for a number of years you could simply give it up on the grounds you developed hives, for I am certain there is medication and allergy pills that would help you through this trying period. I, for one, would not part with my dog no matter what type of hives I developed. Instead, the time that most people spend on trying to get rid of their pet, I would spend on finding something to prevent the problem, like an allergy pill. Here is where I believe the issue lies. Many people love their pet when they first get the puppy/kitten. It is cute, it is small, it is cuddly and, because it's so small and easy to care for, it is not such a burden. But then the pet grows up, and it requires more care, like vet visits, being walked and cleaned up after when it makes a mistake on your rug (because you were too busy to walk it). Or maybe it throws up a hairball on your favorite bed sheet, or basically it is too big to curl up on your lap; in other words, it is just not the cute fur ball it once was. Maybe, though, you are simply looking for the easy way out and you crate the poor animal all day to prevent accidents on your rug. Being crated can cause your dog to bark all day because it is going nuts being locked up in a cage (while you are out having your nails done or having brunch or at a golf outing or maybe something real like working). These are things you should have considered before taking on another life in your household and remember, it is not the pet's fault that you are too busy to care for it anymore. It did not write a letter to you and ask to be adopted. It was you that `broke the promise' that you made to that other life you took into your home. and then looked for the easy way out. You basically want to throw it away like a discarded item you no longer have a use for. In situations like this, there is something you have to realize - the animal, no matter how indifferent you are to it, still loves you. It does not understand what it did to deserve to be basically put in jail, because that is what it is when you turn it into a shelter. Remember - the pet is put in a cage and that is where it lives. Yes, people at the shelters care for the animals, walk them, feed them, and try to do the right thing by them, but they are NOT the ones the pet so happily greeted every day when you came home from work, and looked so forward to just that simple stroke on the back. They remember your smell and your voice and they remember where they used to live and the family they used to have. They are NOT a plastic throwaway, disposable soda bottle; they possess real feelings and just don't understand what it was they did that was so wrong and caused them to be sent to a shelter..or how they must view it as a jail. So in closing, before you go out and buy that cute little puppy or take in the cuddly little kitten, please ask yourself the following question: "Am I going to break that promise?" Grandmaster Buddy Amato operates Amato's Karate and Weapons Academy, 589 Palmer Avenue, West Keansburg and is the author of Buddys Animal Kingdom. For more information, call (732) 671-9555.
Copyright Buddy Amato Amato's Goju-ryu Karate, Nunchaku, Bo-staff, Aikido, Sword, Kendo, Sais, Kick-boxing, Tai-Chi and more 589 Palmer Ave, Keansburg and is the author of Buddys Animal Kingdom, NJ 07734 (732) 671-9555 |
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