Why Do People Abandon Their Pets?

A stray dog wandering around

Quite a number of pets are left on the streets weekly. And this happens all over the globe. Many of these abandoned animals die and some are taken to shelters while very few are adopted by people

Abandoning a pet is practically the same as killing it because it’s not very sure that the animal will find their way back home, sometimes they ended up on the street or in a shelter along with hundreds of other abandoned animals in the same unpalatable situation they found themselves.

In some parts of the world, abandoned pets were killed. Methods like electrocution, gas, incineration, and poisoning were employed to dispose of these animals.

People abandon or drop pets off at shelters/rescues because they don’t have the time or are too lazy to go through the proper re-homing process. There are numbers of reasons why people abandon their pets which leads to the number of pets on the street.

Reasons for Pets Abandonment?

1. Owner’s income

Keeping animal health can be very expensive since the prices of food and healthcare are high. Therefore if a pet owner is unemployed or in debt, they may abandon their pet. One of the main reasons people give up their pets is because of a low income, or living in communities with higher poverty rates Having a low income obviously means people may face challenges providing for themselves, their family, but then also paying for pet food, vet bills and other pet-related expenses such as pet boarding when the owner has to leave home for a period of time.

2.     Behavioral Issues

A destructive, dangerous, disobedient, or unstable pet is more likely to be abandoned than a calm, obedient, and harmless one. But usually, when the animal is not the “perfect” pet, it’s simply a lack of training and patience. It can also be because the owner isn’t giving proper rules for behavior throughout a pet’s life. These behavioral issues can include chewing on furniture and house items, going to the toilet inside, barking, jumping the fence/escaping the yard, and so on.

3.     Owners Relocate

Relocating from a house to another house or place may cause some individuals to abandon their pets, especially if they are large pets. The owner may have to move house or even move countries.

In this situation, the owner may not want to take their pets with them.

4. Old Age

You’re likely to find older pets abandoned than the babies this may be because of their age, they seem no longer fun and cute and they need extra care and attention. Once the owner cannot cope with this, the pets are abandoning.

 

5.     Illness or Death of the owner

Many times, when an older person dies or is hospitalized, the family members don’t know what to do with their pets. A lot of times they decide to leave the pet to die, even if they have been with the family for many years.

And obviously, if the owner passes away and there is no one else immediately to care for the animal, they will have to be given up.

6.     Unwanted Litters

Not spaying a female dog is a big problem.  Once people have one or two pets, they might not want anymore, or simply can’t care for anymore – so they have to give up the litter. When the puppies come people may not know what to do with them. Instead of giving them up for adoption, some decide to abandon the puppies along with their mother.

7.     No longer Profitable

Many people use pets as a money-making venture, whether in races, fights, or breeding. This makes the animal a source of substantial income. When the pets get old, sick, or can no longer reproduce, they’re abandoned on the street.

8.     Travel or Vacation

Whenever people travel or go on a vacation and didn’t go with their pets, the pets will be abandon simply because they don’t want to take their pets along or leave them with a family member. Instead, they decide to abandon them.

Kehinde Ezekiel is a freelance writer who has covered many topics, including home improvement, gardening, pets, tech, and parenting.