Ugh, I can’t believe I even need to write this blog post, but here it is. The other day I was in the Baylands when a passerby asked me if I had seen a husky in the wild. I said no, I would keep an eye out, then asked when the owners lost their dog. She said it wasn’t lost, it had been abandoned and had been driving around for a few days. It was nervous and you shouldn’t approach him. Instead, if I am spotted, I should call the non-emergency police number. She said it happens a lot, people abandon their dogs there and it’s a terrible thing. They can’t survive and what ends up catching them are nearby cars. Presumably they are hungry and disoriented, or they are running away from something and end up injured or dead.
Source: StockSnap
Dogs are also often abandoned in Tahoe. Last year there was a husky on the loose in Tahoe City, also very nervous. People tried for weeks to catch him and finally he was caught with an elaborate trap. The shelter found a tag and called the owners, who hoped to be relieved that their dog had been found. Instead, the owners said they no longer wanted the dog and refused to take it. By the time their abandoned dog was caught, he was emaciated and limping from a car accident on Route 89.
Dogs are a big responsibility and we don’t always know what we’re getting ourselves into. Only a week after picking up my first dog from the pound, I called them to ask them to return him because I had to get up at all hours to take him out. They shamed me and also gave me some advice and I moved on. Another time, after owning this same dog for about 6-7 years, my situation changed and I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep her. I found a good owner in Tahoe, a place she loved, and I drove her here with her bed, toys and food. I sobbed as I handed it over and told the person that if they ever had any doubts or couldn’t keep it, let me know, even after many years. I returned home without help. Two days later apparently my dog had kept trying to leave and come home, so the person called me, told me they felt my dog wanted to come home and asked him driven back by car. My dog seemed pretty sheepish for about a week. I did a lot of training and got help, and everything went well.
Sometimes there are behavioral problems with a dog. Sometimes the problems are financial. This eight-month-old puppy was left in the woods with all his belongings with a badly broken leg. Presumably the owner didn’t have the means to repair it.
A puppy with a broken leg was abandoned. Source: Humans and animals united
I had a friend whose dog suffered from very severe separation anxiety. He made all sorts of messes when left at home or even in the car. He was able to achieve this with practice and patience, but it may not be possible for all families.
The fact is that almost every dog owner has encountered challenges and there is no shame in admitting that you might be overwhelmed. But abandoning your dog to “run free” is never the right answer. This is not good for the animal, nor for the people nearby, nor for the place where you leave it. You leave the fate of the animal to chance, and it is often a bad fate. Some dogs will wait for their owners for days, or try to follow their owner who leaves. Many are injured, sick and/or killed. Local residents can be injured if they drive and encounter one of these animals on the road. The owner, if arrested, can be convicted of a misdemeanor and fined up to $1,000. Finally, native species in places like the Baylands can be threatened, stressed, and damaged by these non-native predators.
If you’re having trouble caring for a pet, contact an animal shelter to understand your options. Even if it is difficult to talk about it with the shelter, silently abandoning your animal can make you feel guilty in the long term. If you can do what’s best for your dog as well as your home, then that’s an outcome you can be proud of.
Laura Birdsall, operations director of the shelter for pets in need, agrees. “Abandoning animals anywhere, for any reason, is not humane. Please don’t do it. Animals in need is here to help on the peninsula! Our goal is to keep families together and we offer low or no cost: sterilization, vaccinations, medical care, food and training. We are also there when someone is unable to care for their animals and keep them healthy and safe. Residents of Palo Alto, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills can responsibly surrender their pets to Pets In Need in Palo Alto.
If you are purchasing a puppy from a shelter, consider doing some simple behavior tests to assess his personality. I like the ones described in Good owners, good dogs. If you are purchasing a purebred animal, Paws to consider contains useful descriptions of different species. (Both books are by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson.) Huskies are notoriously difficult dogs, for example, as are border collies. They need a lot of activity, attention and training, as well as a firm owner. There are better choices for busy households.
Anyway, I’m sorry I have to write this post. We can and must do better.
PS Here’s a sad update from Birdsall: “The stray husky you referred to was accompanied by a pug, who is now safely in our care. Our animal control officers were unable to catch the husky and, tragically, she was later found dead on Embarcadero and 101 after being hit by a car.
Current climate data (March 2023)
Global impacts, Impacts in the United States, CO2 Metric, Climate dashboard
March 2023 was the second warmest March on record (globally). The sea ice extent was the second smallest on record. Our cool temperatures were an anomaly.
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