Before you adopt a pet…….

Lou came into our lives quite unexpectedly. Before Lou, we lived with two cats and a dog. They lived long lives and the three passed within a year of each other.

We had decided to wait at least a year before considering adopting another pet. We were still missing them. When you are accustomed to having pets around, there is a strange void after they pass. Opening the door to the house, I would still look for them.

I was scrolling through posts online one day. I came across one of my husbands. My husband posted an appeal, it read, to be euthanized. A photo was included of a mixed breed at ACC. Two brown eyes looked at me. Soulful eyes and a thin tan body. I read the post, two days before he was to be euthanized.

At dinner, I mentioned the post to my husband. Maybe someone we know will adopt him, he said. Yes, I hope so, I replied. Later, after the dishes were dried I looked at the post again. Those soulful eyes stared back at me.

Before I left for work the next day, I asked my husband, “should I call about him”? It was not yet six months since our dog passed. Yes, he said. So I did and I filled out the papers online to adopt. I wrote an email about our intention and sent it to be sure there was no misunderstanding. We would take him.

We went together the next day, hours before his euthanize time to meet him. He had kennel stress and was nervous. Nothing about him was calm. He jumped frantically around the meet and greet yard. He jumped on us and then ran away. He was conflicted, running away from us and then circling back to jump up on us again.

We sat in the meet and greet yard for a while and I knew it would take time. He wouldn’t walk with us on a leash and so they put him in a kennel and loaded it up into our car.

When we got home and brought him into our yard, he bucked, tried to hide and was fearful. He surveyed the yard for escape routes. We sat out with him for a while giving him food and water and he slowly he felt more comfortable. He went up to my husband and my husband hugged him. We saw the light go on. He found his bed inside our house later and slept on it the entire night.

We learned that he had spent most of the day at the shelter in a small kennel. Because the shelter was so overcrowded they ran out of space and had kennels stacked on top of each other. Staff were very nice and caring but clearly overwhelmed. The amount of animals in their care was staggering. They tried to walk the dogs at least 3 times a day for 15 minutes each time. Can you imagine having to care for over 100 dogs with limited staff. There were also cats!

Pets require a great deal of care and love. They require time and patience and money. It has been a while now and our dog Lou has settled into our home. He is calm. He feels secure. We worked with two trainers. It was a process. We love him. He goes everywhere we go.

It took months until he was able to feel safe with us. He had been neglected, starved and then abandoned before we adopted him. We don’t know his full story. We know NYPD brought him to the shelter. He spent a few months on the medical unit.

Dogs who are not adopted quickly and who show kennel stress are put on a euthanize list. They don’t present well and there is low probability for adoption. Many are sedated and put on meds to calm them. They become confused and disoriented at the shelter. Many adopters don’t want to takes a chance on them.

Many pets are brought back after a few days or a month because the adopters didn’t understand the time and patience that is required. Dogs are part of the family once they are in the house. They need time to adjust and feel safe. It takes time and effort.

When you consider adopting it is for a lifetime. This includes food, medicine, vet visits, walks, training, time, love and commitment. Pets need attention.

Our City council is trying to pass an animal cruelty act. There are many cases of neglect and people who own dogs for fighting. Many people don’t view animals as sentient beings. They view them as property. They see them as disposable. They are callous. They hit them, neglect them, they abuse them then discard them.

Even when abusers are identified, penalties are not severe. Our local council is trying to help pass new laws. Many abuse cases are reported but little is done to respond, rescue and remove. Animals usually stay with abusers after a warning. There are limited agencies to help. Rescues are overwhelmed with cases. New laws and penalties need to be enacted. Animals deserve justice too.

If you can rescue, please do so. Many animals need a home. If you can’t adopt, you can advocate for new laws. Maybe little by little we can make change.