Dear Mom and Dad,

I died today, You got tired of me and took me to the shelter, they were overcrowded and I drew an unlucky number.

I am in a black plastic bag in a landfill now.

Some other puppy will get the barely used leash you left, my collar was dirty and too small, but the lady took it off before she sent me to the Rainbow Bridge.

Would I still be at home if I hadn't chewed your shoe? I didn't know what it was, but it was leather, and it was on the floor. I was just playing. You forgot to get puppy toys.

Would I still be at home if I had been housebroken? Rubbing my nose in what I did only made me ashamed that I had to go at all. There are books and obedience teachers that would have taught you how to teach me to go to the door.

Would I still be at home if I hadn't brought fleas into the house? Without anti-flea medicine, I couldn't get them off of me after you left me in the yard for days.

Would I still be at home if I hadn't barked? I was only saying, "I'm scared, I'm lonely, I'm here, I'm here! I want to be your best friend."

Would I still be at home if I had made you happy? Hitting me didn't make me learn how.

Would I still be at home if you had taken the time to care for me and to teach manners to me? You didn't pay attention to me after the first week or so, but I spent all my time waiting for you to love me.

I died today.

Love,

Your Puppy

Sherri

You find such sad but so true sayings. I had a lady ask me where I got Dakota and she told me they were looking for a puppy. They want a lab because they say their good with kids but they only want it if they can get it for free. That really makes me worry they want the dog for their 18 month old child. But that 18 month old will not be the one to do anything with the dog. To me thats entirely the wrong reason to get a dog, just because your child gets excited when she sees puppies.


Kelly

Sadly, free for all many times means free to abuse and discard.

I try so very hard not to loose faith in people. But it seems to me Every Body knows that animals are abused and thrown away, That animal control kill unwanted and homeless animals but Yet very few do any thing.. People rather dump their puppy or dog thinking they will find new home.. when deep inside they know that it is highly unlikely.
They accept the fact that these animals are killed and don't do nothing to change it. They just dont look at the problem.. The only solution is controlling breeding, spaying and neutering.

Too many people want puppies, but wont even consider an adult dog

Sherri....this just brought tears to my eyes. People need to consider adopting an older dog or even a one year old dog to raise with children. Parents already have so many chores just to maintain a home for their children that sometimes a puppy ( which are all adorable) who will have many needs as far as housetraining, potty training and obedience training is just something they do not have the time for. An older dog is more settled, usually potty trained and is also of an age where they are capable of learning faster the rules in their new home.....a lot of them come even already knowing basic commands.
I have had both puppies in our home and two rescued dogs........I loved the puppy antics but looking back to when my girls were small I feel an older dog would have been easier for me at that time in my life. Our two rescued dogs, one a Brittany Mix and our present Miss Molly , the Irish Setter have just been so easy to fit into our household and life. At 15 months when she came home she was still and is still puppy in so many ways but two accidents in the house ( my fault as I did not wake up that first night ) was the extend of any cleanup as far as potty training.....we could see what her personality was already (typical Irish Setter but no fear of men, children or any people, loves other dogs etc) . She just adapted to our house rules so easily and quickly that the crate we bought for her just was not used except when we were gone over two hours the first two months. Miss Molly has run of our home 24/7 so crate was donated to a local rescue. Another issue parents should think about is the fact that children will learn a lot from having a pet.....cat, dog etc but they also learn from YOU how to care for and love animals so when you ignore, mistreat, or discard a pet because you got bored with it, did not train it, or it grew bigger than you thought it would, or jumped on your kids or mouthed a hand ( typical puppy behavior) and you decide to get rid of their pet you are teaching them that pets have no value....you also undo any learning the child has learned on how to work thru problems . Pets are PART of THE FAMILY not a toy to dispose of. I realize sometimes there are real reasons a dog needs a new home....losing a house, serious illness etc but most owners who love their dogs will make a plan for their dog and do their best to be sure that dog is placed in a safe home or a no kill shelter as a last resort. A child at 18 months is really too young to remember if the dog they have is a puppy they grew up with or an older dog....pictures and your stories will be what tells them if the dog was a puppy. A lot of shelters will not adopt a dog into a home with that young of a child .
I can honestly say that as much as I love puppies I will always from now on look for an older dog . I looked at many before I accidently came across Miss Molly on of all places the Cardinal Baseball game......having always had Irish Setters and knowing how hard it is to find one here in a shelter I just had to at least apply to adopt her even though I was trying to make myself fall in love with a small dog. Miss Molly has been a joy from the day we came home with her.....two adults and a collegeaged daughter have all lost their hearts to her....infact that took less than a week. The bond was quick and easy for all of us but we also could see what type of personality she had , and we did check to be sure she was not afraid of people of any sort as we have three grandsons and she is around them also. So that older dog just maybe the perfect fit for a family with children who do not have the time to potty train or the patience to deal with raising a puppy who has to learn house rules.
Shy

Hi Shy, good to hear from you again. You have expressed everything beautifully. Thank you. Can I use some of your words to pass along to all the people who say they want puppies? Hearing a first hand account will go a long ways in helping to educate people.