darn, you quoted me before i could correct my spelling. my phone sucketh for my big fingers.
that's nice, cws. i'm sure your doggie loved you for it.
but how does it relate to actual home care of a pet vs. paying someone to do it, much like having a nanny for your kids and only seeing them on weekends?
BuckyTom--I have personally assessed more than 100 dogs (shelter dogs, owner surrenders, which, I have to say, makes up the majority--why others should have to take responsibility for a person's unwanted pet is beyond me--don't get me started). Of those, only 4 had to be euthanized, and only 1 because of unadoptable/dangerous temperament. The other three had cancer, one of which was left by her owners when they moved and the neighbors fed her--she was in stage 4 of bone cancer when I got called by the shelter. I held her in my arms 4 hours after picking her up while the vet humanely euthanized her--oh, and $300 later. Why did I have to do that? I have personally fostered more dogs than I can count--I think it is 56, but I might be shy a few. I don't know how that equates to having s/one else do it. I have gotten phone calls in the middle of the night threatening to kill the dog if I didn't come and get it "RIGHT NOW." I've had people threaten to come and shoot me if I didn't let them adopt a dog (is it any wonder I have an unlisted # and don't use my name on forums, etc.?) As a foster and rescue volunteer, the only thing for which I ever received payment was if I paid a vet bill up front or, in a few cases, mileage (I drove 13 hours to get one dog--another one of my most favorite Saints), for that I got my gas reimbursed, not mileage. No, I don't know how come people would not have their pets with them--but then, I also don't understand a lot of things about how people care for (or not care for) their pets.I also don't understand why a person would call a stranger and demand that that person come and get the dog because it got in the diaper pail at 10:00 p.m. in the middle of a snow storm. Whoa. Little kitty I took in April is an example...not my pet/responsibility, but once I opened the door and let her in, she was my responsibility. And then there is that Saint Bernard that had to be chiseled out of the ice up in Inuvik...another sad story--but, in the end, she was adopted by a great family and spent the rest of her life as a "reading" dog (one of those therapy dogs that goes into schools and kids read to it).
There are those who believe we have "secret gardens" in our hearts. Buried in my secret garden are the dark stories about rescues I don't/can't want to share. The dogs I couldn't help. The ones that died in my arms, where all I could do was wash their feet, burn a candle, and sing to them while I waited for the vet arrive--brain dead, but not dead--oops, one of the black memories that should stay in my secret garden. Don't even go there with me--you don't want to--nor do I. I can go more rounds than you probably want to go--more rounds than most folks not involved with rescue care to go. And, I spent 10 years involved with rescue, so I have a lot of stories...many good, some bad, some really, really bad. And one of those good stories is currently sleeping with his 40 lb head on my foot. He's visiting for 10 days while his "parents" go on vacation. I'm so happy he's here!