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Having worked with animals most of my life, I'm constantly surprised at how easily many people enter into a big commitment - specifically, adopting a new pet. Thinking back, I can remember many summer days sitting in front of the local grocery store giving away puppies (my dad refused to have his dog spayed) and even now I can hardly believe how many people looked at those puppies and decided on the spur of the moment to take one home. Sometimes it was a child's incessant pleas that they take the cute ball of fur home or the "it would be fun to have a dog" reasoning. Now that I'm older and have spent more time in pet shelters, I see how many of these sorts of pets end up being given up when the new owner gets tired of the pet, gets frustrated at chewing or house training, or just plain realizes how much time and money that "free puppy" is going to cost.

I have had many dogs come into my life that were simply abandoned. One had the good fortune of being abandoned right in front of the shelter, being tied to the fence during the night so the owners could avoid the surrender fees. Another was originally tied to the fence on her owner's property, where she stayed for an unknown period of time after her people had moved away until hunger and thirst drove her to break her chain. She was found wandering the countryside dragging the broken chain and in a horribly emaciated state. The saddest case I've seen yet was that of a Chow-Chow; before she came to us, the police found her after concerned neighbors called - they'd heard a dog whining in the house next door where the occupants had moved out a week before. The police discovered an appalling sight. Two dogs were running loose through the house, desperate for food and water and in horrible shape. The third (our chow) was found tied to the bathroom sink on a very short tether - with her litter of half-starved puppies lying beside her.

What causes something like this to happen? I can tell you right now that the majority of people who abuse animals do not start off with the thought in their head that they're going to treat that critter badly, it just sort of happens along the way. Some of the factors that may contribute to this kind of behavior are the obvious lack of responsibility, lack of respect for the animal, or a simple misunderstanding of what the animal needs. So what should we be prepared to give or do for our pet when we bring them into the family?

Thoroughly research your pet. Before you even think about bringing

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