Why do people drop their dogs/cats off and expect someone else to care for it?!?!? These people should be left outside in fur coats in 94 degree summer heat with no food, water or shelter! And most of all....left without anyone to give a care about them!!!!!

Someone dropped a St. Bernard off here somewhere around my house, which is out in the country. We've looked around to try to find this dog's owners but no one claim's it. It's pour coat was extremely matted and you could tell this dog was overheated - I gave it a big bucket of cool water and it lapped it up like crazy. It broke it's way into the crawl space under my house. I have to fix my house now but I just felt so sorry for it. The shelter finally came and picked it up and said a dog of this type they wouldn't have trouble finding it a home. Hopefully one that will accept the responsibility of such a large dog and not drop it off somewhere else.

I wish I knew who would do such a thing! Perhaps it was just lost but it had no collar and it's coat was in terrible condition. Grrrrrrrr!!! It just makes me so mad!

It's sad to say that many people think of pets as disposable. Whenever it doesn't fit their lifestyle then the dispose of it.
Pet are a responsibility that should be taken with a lot of thought before purchasing or taking in an animal. Just like your family they have good times and bad times and good habits and bad habits. It should be a commitment for the next 15-20 years.
I have 2 dogs, 4 cats, a tank of fish and a newly acquired rabbit. The rabbit I took in because some neighbors were being evicted from their home and they didn't have anywhere to take it to. I normally wouldn't have taken it and had told my daughter that we were'nt going to get one, but I felt sorry for it. At first it was kinda hostile, but now it comes right up to me and knows that besides it's food, I am constantly bringing it fresh lettuce, carrots, grass and dandelion leaves. I'm sure it is thankful, because the people who had her, didn't take very good care of her.
Anyway, I think people who drop off animals are irresponsible and uncaring!

I think it is HORRIBLE! I hate to see anyone mistreat an animal. Sadly though, it happens too often around here. For a while last year seemed like it happened a lot more than usual. They either drop grown dogs off or the puppies that their dog has. I don't know why anyone would do that. The puppies they could put in a box and go to a store and give them away free...I've seen peopel do this. Or even take it to the shelter themselves. I don't understand their way of thinking because dropping a dog off anywhere usually means death for the animal and that breaks my heart.

We seem to be "magnets" for strays. I guess because they know that we will take care of them. Its been that way since I was a child. I can always remember finding a stray and feeding and watering it. Once we had two pups left at our house, we took care of them for a few days, hoping we could find the owners, but never could, so we took them to the shelter so they could find good homes for them.

We will never turn an animal away. We will take care of it, if possible until we can find the owner or until we can take it to the shelter for them to find a good home for it.

*Flady*

I don't know where you live, but you should definitely contact a St. Bernard rescue. I've been involved in dog rescue for years and in my experience there are not tons of St. Bernards in shelters and many rescues will take them. Worth a try for the poor guy.

It also upsets me to see animals abused and suffering. I know i should be more in control of my feelings but i cant help but cry when i see an animal in a bad way.
If you get a broken heart eaisly, DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING!!!!!!!!

I remember when i was 8 years old, my 16 year old came over crying. I was sent out of the room because i was too young to hear, or understand what was going on, but my cousin decided to tell me later anyway. Come to find out, her parents were fueding with their neighbors, and when my cousin woke up one morning, she found her great daine in the back yard dead. Her neighbors had poured gasoline on it and burned it alive! i will never forget the tears that my cousin had cried, and it pains me to think about what she had seen to this day. Now, i don't know if it was ever proved that the neighbors were in fact the ones who did it, but i don't want to ask and bring up bad memories.

Another heart breaking story:
I remember i was watching a documentery on HBO about a serial killer, and he admitted the he tied two cats tails together, and watched them stuggle for 15 minutes for his own sick pleasure. After the cats struggled, he threw them into a burning furnice! He smiled as they burned alive.
I get so angry at stuff like that! Maybe angry doesn't describe it! I wish that there was some justice that could be served other than comunity service, and paying a fine. I'm not a mean person, but maybe the killer should be killed in the exact same way that they killed the defenceless animal. Maybe if you knew you would die in the same fashion that you killed, you might not kill.

I didn't think about the St. Bernard rescue groups. I was seriously worried about the health of this dog and called the first people I knew could get it help the quickest. Honestly, I'm hoping the shelter has shaved down it's coat by now. That dog needed some serious relief from the heat and medical attention. What I didn't say above was after it drank some water it seemed to kinda make it sick. Not sick enough to take it down but enough I could tell it was severely dehydrated. The heat and humidity was very dangerous. You can just feel yourself dehydrating if you are outside without water for very long.

I think I'll call the shelter tomorrow and check on it.

My gramma used to have cats dropped off all the time. They had a farm and every now and then....along came a cat to the back door for some food along with the ones they already had and it was just accepted as a new pet. Never allowed in the house passed the back porch (fleas ), but accepted just the same. They never had a dog dropped off, but the cats weren't a bother, too much, because they earned their keep killing mice in the barns and fields.

It amazes me how cruel people can be to animals. It really takes bad brains to be able to be mean to any of God's creatures. We ended up with a cat once because my sister was down by our grocery store with her boyfriend when they saw some boys torturing a cat by it's tail. Her and her boyfriend stopped them and we brought home the cat for ourselves and it was a GREAT cat! I used to look at him all the time and he'd look at me and I would imagine him thinking...thank goodness these people rescued me when they did!! His name was BB...my mom told me when I was a kid it stood for brown and black because he was a brown/black striped tiger cat...but then I overheard someone saying that my mom's friend, Patty, named it BB because he was a little rambuncheous and that he had Big B's (if you get my drift )

Anyhow...I'm sure the St. Bernard will find a great home...thanks to YOU!!

I think that whatever a person does to an animal they should have it done to them so they can see how they like it.

Tweetyandme...that is so sad.

I work with a collie rescue group, and we get some pretty sad cases coming through. Some of the dogs, even if they are saved from abuse/neglect, are so sick that they do not make it. Lots of them have to be shaved (which is a really odd sight - shaved collie) and they usually have worms. The first time DH and I heard of a rescued dog dying, he got very upset and angry. I try to focus on the happy endings we are able to help facilitate.

Around here most of the rescue animals have heartworms - it can be treated, but it's very expensive and some of the animals don't survive the cure. My cocker spaniel is a rescue dog - someone just decided they didn't want him anymore and turned him out onto the street. He's a great dog.

We "Rescued" our one cat that we have now from a coworker (at the time) that we were buying something from. This cat jumped up on me like, "Take me home, Please do not leave me here". The lady said, "if you want him, you can take him." they only fed him cheese and french fries!

Many years later he is still with us and he does have abandonment issues among other things. When we go out of town my fil comes to check on him and spend time with him.

*Flady*

Well not to defend people who drop animals off, (we have alot of strays in the town I live in and it makes me so mad) I used to live in a town where to take your animal to a shelter cost around $75, for food and shots and the lot. If people can't afford to feed an animal or just didn't want it anymore, they aren't gonna be able to pay that money to get rid of it, Then the shelter people couldn't understand why people threw animals over their fence and the town had such a stray problem. I have never heard of it costing money to give an animal to the shelter before or since. But anyhoo theres my little ramble.

It makes my heart ache so much when I hear stories of animlas being mistreated or left without care. I want a dog soo much right now and would give anything to care for one. I just cannot fathom someone mistreating such helpless animals I don't understand how people cannot "see" what it will take to care for an animal...its not like they don't know that a pet needs vet check ups and food etc...it just like preparing for a baby...

That is true I know the shelters have costs and all, but how are people supposed to afford that if they can't afford the animal just to drop them off? I know there are rescues and what not but a lot are full to capcity now because of Katrina. I know we almost had two stray kittens and were looking for a shelter to take them and they all were full. Luckily the people found good homes for them before they moved.

It saddens me too to hear of animals being mistreated, abandoned, etc, what are people to do though who HAVE to find a place for an animal and do not have the $$ or if all the rescues/shelters are full in their area? We have stray cats in our apt. complex running around, that we just feed whenever they come to our deck, but other than that I don't know what else to do for them. They all seem in good health (I'm sure from everybody feeding them) so none look sick or we'd take them to our vets. I guess sometimes it is totally out of our hands.