This post came about due to 2 incidents. Recently, mum & I were asked if we knew anyone who wanted to adopt a 1-year old beagle. The present owner was given this beagle. Since his child likes dogs, he agreed to take the beagle. This year, his child decided to look for a job down south. Now, the father is a busy man. So, when the child went away, the beagle did not get to go for walks and was tied up (so as to not trip the house alarm) when father was at work. Father decides that it was too much hassle to keep the beagle and asks around if anyone wants a beagle. In fact, he even considered giving the beagle to SPCA. When my mum heard it, she was horrified. She quickly made some calls and found a friend of a friend whose Labrador had just passed away and was keen to adopt the beagle. She was relieved. But, the relief didn't last long. It turned out that the child came back home for a break and didn't want to give up the dog for re-homing because she was "too cute". Question is - What will happen to the beagle when the child goes off again?
The second incident is a contrast to the first example. Our friend's daughter (and my occasional playmate) have been asking her parents for a dog for years. I like to think I may have a part to play in this...:-). Her parents are seriously considering allowing her to adopt a puppy. What is really great about this is her father actually made a statement saying that he should also read up about dogs coz he reckons that he may have to bear the responsibility.
My point is this - parents, if you want to get a puppy for your child, please be prepared to bear the responsibility when your child will not or cannot. Most dogs have a life-span of about 10-15 years. Depending on how old your child is, they may lose interest or go away for studies or work. If you do not think that you can or will take over the responsibility of looking after the dog, then do the responsible thing and don't get the dog. It really isn't fair to my fellow four-legged pals.
P.S. If you are interested to to get a beagle and are prepared to take responsibility for our well-being, then read my earlier post called "To BEagle or not to BEagle" which spells out our characteristics before making your decision.
Hakata Ippudo
12 years ago
10 comments:
Hi Kess,
Sorry we have been away for so long! We just got caught up on your posts. Congratulations on being a "Star in The Star" you look so relaxed. We like your collection of beagle things too and the lovely drawing Clair did of you. Jazz is the leader of the pack here!
Lix
J&D
Hi Kess ( Jas and Liz)
I came over from Jazz and Dixie's blog. Fei and I live in Japan but we moved here from Singapore.
Fei is a mixed breed.
Nice to meet you all.
I agree with the commitment you need to give and promise when you accept a dog into your life.
When Fei came to me; we were moving countries and going from a small city (like Singapore) to an even smaller city regardless of size ( tokyo). It was hard renting here with a dog in tow but we did it.
Fei will always be my commitment.
Now, I'll go read the rest of your blog.
Love
Fei and E (the human)
Welcome back to blogging Jazz & Dixie. Thanks for swinging by. Hey, Jazz, tell us your secret - how do you do it?
Hi Fei & E, I'm so pleased to meet new friends. Hey Fei, how do you cope with the globetrotting? Do you have to spend a lot time in quarantine before you're allowed into a new country?
Hey Kess,
Sad to hear about the beagle and her story. Getting puppies when they are small and lovely, then abandoning them when they grow out of their 'cuteness' are common phenomenons.
Many pets are gotten out of impulse and novelty. My humans have picked up several abandoned animals over the years.
Come Monday, we'll be taking in another beagle from a relative and the worse thing is, despite rearing the dog for two years, the dog was seldom handled, not to mention train. That poor beagle was not even trained to pee and poo at a designated area; she pees, poos, eat and sleep at the very same place.
Sighs. Guess it'll be a hard time trying to housebreak and socialise an adult dog.
For most of her life, she was staying in a small crate; she was never allowed to have the freedom of walking around the house. She has only been brought for walks once in her entire life. This doesn't justify what a beagle needs as a hound.
Many people do not realise that rearing us (dogs) require more than just food and shelter. We need affection, attention and love more than anything else.
Sweet Licks,
Sugar
(Sorry to tag such a long comment on your post, but I just can't help it each time I come across people who see their pets nothing more than commodities.)
Hi Kess and her mama
Well, it is usually not too difficult to co-ordinate relocations with pets but the trick is to get your job, new home and quarantine booked months in advance so that they all come together at once.
The next destination is either going to be Australia or Singapore and they both require a 30 day quarantine. And we have to book at least up to 4 or 5months in advance.
Are you thinking of moving?
Fei and E
Sugar, Thanks for your comments. Really appreciate your passion about this matter. We feel the same way too. We think it's great that you're going to give the beagle a new lease in life. Look forward to reading about the progress on your blog.
Hi Fei and E, Thanks for the reply. We don't think we'll be relocating anytime soon. Mum & dad did move to Bangkok 2 years ago but left me behind with their parents. It had to do with the rabies issue in Thailand. Plus Bangkok was close enough to home and I got to see them every month. However, there is always a possibility of relocation in the further future. Unfortunately, they don't get to confirm this 4-5 months ahead.:-(
Come join our Beagle List. It's called Happy Tails, we have beagle lovers from all over the world.
You can find Happy Tails at Yahoo Groups. Here's a link
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/happytails/
Raven, Molly (beagle) and Lucy (Aussie Kelpie)
WI
Thanks Icepony goddess. Have checked Happy Tails out.
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