I’m Kristen. Welcome to All In My Twenties, my place to pour my little heart out on the daily!! This is the world just as I see it. Why dont you kick up your feet and stay awhile?!
Most of the people around me are getting married and having babies.
Ive said a thousand times that I support these things 100%! Nothing makes me happier than seeing the one I LOVE experiencing these amazing things. Epecially the baby makers. I love me some babies.
I have ONE large bone to pick with certain baby mamas.
Having a baby DOES NOT mean you can ditch your dog.
I HATE and I mean absolutely HATE when people abandon their pets. You cant trade in your dog for a baby. Thats complete bullshit. Im sorry but I find it completely heartless to give away an animal that youve had for years because you decide to have a baby. When you decide to get a pet that means you are agreeing to have them until they DIE, NOT until you "have too much on your plate" or until you trade them in for the real deal. I could go on about this for DAYS become I feel so passionately about the subject.
And before I get 30 emails explaining:
"how hard it is to be a parent and a dog owner"
"how much time and effort children require"
"how dogs act 'differently' when a new baby joins the home"
and so on...
I DONT WANT YOUR EXCUSES.
Today Im here representing the dogs so many people promised to love and then gave away because they cant speak for themselves.
The one and only excuse Ill understand is a pet becoming aggressive toward a child. THAT IS IT. I completely understand that. I dont understand LASINESS.
Moral of the story: Dont be selfish, keep your pet. They love you and count on you and they dont deserve to be shoved aside because youve decided to replace your "first baby" with a REAL baby.
Annahita if you ever stop loving Ollie I will personally drive to Atlanta to bring him to live with his cousins! Dont let me down!!
Rant OVER.
And for the record these 2 have a FOREVER HOME because NO ONE in the world could ever REPLACE them.
Preach sista! That's completely inexcusable. My puppy is MY baby, and i much prefer him to human babies :) I can't imagine anyone doing that...
ReplyDeleteI completely agree- 200%! Friends with babies & dogs always say "oh you will understand once you have a baby" or "yeah, you take him everywhere now, just wait". I CANNOT STAND THIS! I chose to bring our dog into our family...I could not imagine being so selfish to just give him away or ignore him once we have a baby...just boggles my mind. Sorry for the rant- I'll end it here :-)
ReplyDeleteI couldn't imagine getting rid of Oscar just because I have a baby now. Oscar is so good with Max! He may not get 100% of my attention now but he seems to understand why :)
ReplyDeleteWAIT! People actually DO THIS?! If you own a pet, having a baby is your SECOND child. Wow - some people can be so selfish. What about when child #2 comes? Will you give child #1 away? Erghhhh.
ReplyDeleteI TOTALLY agree with you! I can not believe that there are people out there that do shit like this! It kills me!
ReplyDeleteOn another note I just wanted to say that I have been following your blog for a while now and I LOVE it! You are so real and honest and love that about your blog!
http://mylifemyway14.blogspot.com/
AMEN SISTER - its like these thoughts came out of my brain and through your fingers as you typed this! 100% agreed:)
ReplyDeleteI SO agree with you! I say this ALL the time! It's not like they're going to get rid of their first child when they have a second, right? :)
ReplyDeleteSoooo sooo true! I find it so sad when people trade in their pets. I agree aggressive behavior or bad allergies are the only two reasons to even thinking of removing a pet from the family.
ReplyDeletePeople need to learn responsibility! xoxo
I'm 50/50 about this subject. My parents dog, Buddy used to growl, snap, and once even bit my daughter. We lived with them for her first 3 years. I told my parents not to get rid of him and that we would just keep them separated but that was sad. If we were all in the living room he had to be gated on the other side of the house and I felt so bad for him. The Vet said to put him down! Of course my parents didn't and we've since moved out.
ReplyDeleteSome dogs don't like kids. He was one of them.
Then you have our dog, Diego who loves her. And follows her around everywhere, lays with her, and if she cries or screams he's the first one to see why.
I don't know if I'll ever have kids, but lately my dog Rigby has been acting really protective of me when my five year old niece and two year old nephew come around. Rigby is only about 7, and if I have kids it's likely that he'll still be around when I do...so we've already started taking measures to figure out what the issue is and correct it, including spending not a small amount of money on behavioral training. Because I gave my dogs a forever home and not even a baby could or would change that.
ReplyDeleteI am 50/50 on this subject as well. I am not a pet owner but I am a mother, however.. I know that people think they should take care of a pet before the baby and then they ditch them. Wrong move, being that you can't just ditch the baby. But if it is a dog that may be a little aggressive.. I don't think one should keep that pet. But I love animals, just don't have any.. for that reason.
ReplyDeleteI've seen so much of this too!! I HATE it!! I think it's total BS too. When I had to move out of a house w/ a yard b/c of a bad landlord (wouldn't do repairs) and into a less expensive apartment, my Mom took my lab temporarily. Now that my boyfriend bought a house and got a fence put in, the lab is moving back. Getting rid of a pet permanently is just mean!
ReplyDeleteI'm on the fence with this one. We had two dogs when my baby brother was born. One dog was a joy to have around. The other dog was very aggressive and would bite the baby. Our friends who are also our neighbors took our maltese in and he's happier with all the attention because the couple doesn't want to have children.
ReplyDeleteThis is a big reason why I haven't bought a dog yet because I don't want to be an irresponsible owner.
I agree with you 95%.. Nothing makes me more sad than seeing pets on Craigslist who are older, stand little chance of being adopted, and are only on there because owners are moving to a "non-pet friendly place" or some other lame excuse. Uh, find a fucking new place to live then. You took on this responsibility, OWN IT. My other HUGE pet peeve is people who adopt animals (and I have a friend that's done this) and then NEVER take it to the vet. Guess what peeps- Animals need to go to the vet MORE than just when they're sick. They need preventive care, shots, checkups.. in that sense they ARE like children. So just because you could afford the rehoming fee and bags of food every month does NOT mean you are suitable to own an animal. It's irresponsible.
ReplyDeletethe 5% of me that disagrees more or less also believes that if there are major behavioral issues stemming, that (AFTER TRYING) cannot be corrected, then maybe it's okay to get rid of a pet, BUT I think THEN you should hang onto it until you can PERSONALLY place the pet in a loving home. Trusting the humane society to do it often leads to the pet being put down.
Also, I do disagree with the person who said if you have a pet the baby is your second child. No. A pet is still a pet and a human should always come before an animal, but I also don't think you should entirely neglect the animal. They may just then assume more of the role of "pet" than child. I think this can be circumvented by strategically adopting it- I got my kitty 9 months ago, and dont' plan to have real babies for 3-4 years. That way the kitty will be a bit older, and calmer, and will adjust better to a baby.
woah, end rant.
I completely agree! Animals are meant to be loved by a family for their whole life...not just as long as we feel like it!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. I can't imagine giving up one of my pets. I just wouldn't do it. No freakin' way.
ReplyDeleteThe dog was there first. The dog doesn't just get to be thrown away like garbage. Maybe you should've thought about that before you had kids! Ugh.
I COULDN'T AGREE MORE! I hate it when people do that. Adopting a pet is a lifetime commitment! I would NEVER get rid of my dog or cats! They are part of my family for sure.
ReplyDeletelook at you calling me out! ;)
ReplyDeleteyou are too funny - you know that I would never stop loving that big ball of gas.... who would warm my feet up on the couch?? and get drool all over my work pants when I get home?? he's my snugglebug and I love him FOREVER.
I agree - they're irreplaceable. Don't worry - Ollie has a forever home with us and I completely agree with you!
::virtual high fives::
ReplyDeleteLooooooooove this post, preach sista. When I was volunteering at a shelter a few years back a woman called and said "I'm getting married in two days and my fiancé is allergic to cats, what time can I drop my two off?" ::through the phone drop kick:: some people just make me sick, animals are a lifetime commitment that can bring so much joy and they deserve our love and securrity. Again greaaaaaaaat post!
Kristen, I completely agree!!!
ReplyDeleteGREAT post. Totally agree. You need to make it work. Cruz may be a dog, but she is my first child. I would do anything for her. Thank you for posting this!!
ReplyDeleteWow I didn't even know that this was something people do. I mean my dog is the sweetest animal in the world and wouldn't hurt a fly but even if she wasn't that way it wouldn't matter because I'm not having any kids running around anytime soon. If a couple is even considering having a child than they should take that into consideration when choosing a pet. If you don't that's just irresponsible!!
ReplyDeleteI would totally be one of those people. So I just don't buy pets. Just keepin' it real - I can pet other peoples dogs when I'm feeling like I need a little friend. LOL
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more!! I seriously cannot even imagine giving Daisy away, no one could even force me!! The only reason- like you said would be if the pet was aggressive towards the child but geeez that would even be hard!!
ReplyDeleteAmen sista! I do have to say, a pet will never disappoint you like your child may one day. Not saying either one is better, just stating my opinion :) Btw, your "babies" are precious!
ReplyDeleteAMEN! This is one thing that annoys me more than almost anything else. My dogs are my kids and I could never replace them with real kids. How can you ditch something you created this bond with?!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, people actually do this?!?!? I am so in shock, that is terrible!
ReplyDeleteI agree with amodernsuberanite 100%...I feel the same way :)
ReplyDeleteOMG! I'm so with you! It drives me absolutely nuts and makes me want to cry for those poor animals!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy pets are my babies...end of story. My husband and I have talked about kids, and we know that we will still have to spend time with the dogs to make them feel special too. It's just what you have to do. If you're willing to give one away like that, you probably shouldn't have owned it in the first place. You don't have a pet just to have a pet. It's an extension of your family!
ReplyDeleteWait!!!!!! People actually do this. This is insane to me I would never get rid of my baby good lord I am litereally shocked that people actually do this. I know my cousin gave her doberman to her inlaws after her first child was born cause he was very jealous of the baby but that is a good reason. Gosh!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my ALL-TIME biggest pet peeves. Not just when people have babies, either... when they just "get busy", "can't show them enough attention", etc. REALLY?! But you can go to the mall, the bar, the movies, etc... but you can't spend a little time loving on the one thing who loves you UNCONDITIONALLY. When I go out to get the mail my dog greets me like I just went on a two week cruise. I could never, ever fathom getting rid of him. Thank you, THANK you for posting this!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of sad you'll never giveaway Tugger because I would gladly take him haha :)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you said though, dogs are a LIFETIME commitment. They don't understand why they are being given to a strange family!!
Totally agree with you!! I love that you have a Miniature Schnauzer!! I have one too and I just love her :)
ReplyDeleteummm, do you know how hard it is to be a parent and dog owner? And how much time and effort children require?
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHA JUUUUUUUUST KIDDING wit ya ha!!
totally agree. besides, kids LOVE dogs! I also could never understand people giving away their dogs when they move. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?? Don't they have a special connection to their dog? Don't they love their dog? And what, like a dog has never moved homes before?!?
some people Kristen, some people...
Word girl!! I have already gotten in a fight with my momma over my cat on this issue. I'm NOT giving my cat away when we have a baby. Oh but "Cats sit on the babies face" blah blah blah.... freaking watch your child and keep the door closed when it is sleeping in its bed. How friggin hard is that?! Jesus... I get so mad at that stuff too.
ReplyDeleteOMG!!! I 10000% agree with you. People who get married, having babies, can't handle their dogs "behavioral" issues, move, etc. are heartless and I hate them. People need to know and realize that owning a dog is a FULL TIME responsibility that lasts around 10-17 years (depending on the life of the dog). If people move, are they going to get rid of their 6 month old newborn baby. No. It is not appropriate to rehome a dog, especially cause someone is lazy. If it has "behavioral" issues, train it. If someone sees themselves not being to devote full-time to the dog, do NOT adopt. Someone else will devote the needed time.
ReplyDeleteSorry for ranting, but I completely agree you. I hate when others judge me for my opinion and tell me that they would rehome a dog. I'm sorry, but I just can't understand. I love my TWO dogs more than anyone, and will never ever part with them.
In my first sentence I meant people who get rid of their dogs, basically cause they got married, had babies, can devote the time, move, etc are heartless.
ReplyDeleteI have a bond with my two dogs, and I assume everyone else does too. Guess not for some people. Besides, giving a dog away is incredibly selfish and really hard on the dog. My dogs were both adopted and returned to the pound. They both have severe attachment issues. Because of someone's lack of care, I got to adopt my sweet babies.
I still don't see how people do this. Some of the excuses people have... ridiculous.
I personally believe that my 4-legged little boy is a little boy & not a "Dog". I HATE when people judge me for defending that Kolby is a little boy, maybe not to them but to me he is & will forever be my little boy! I hate even more when they go "Someday when you have a baby you wont feel that way about Kolby" You better believe that my love for my little boy will always be the same regardless of how many legs he may have! Love this post!
ReplyDeleteAgreed! My dog IS my baby and nothing could ever replace her. We're having a real baby this summer, but this girl will always be my first baby! You don't get rid of kid #1 when you go to have kid #2... why would you do that to an innocent pet who relies on you and trusts you??? If you can't handle having both, you better wait to have kids, because you've already made a commitment to that pet!
ReplyDeleteI wish more people would have the smarts that you do. I need to share this post with some peeps.
ReplyDeleteI hate when I hear of people getting rid of their pets because they can't afford it.
Well I'm pretty sure you knew at some point pets would be expensive. Humans are, so why wouldn't pets be.
I love my fur baby so much, that I might not have children. I spoil him too much and a child would just get in the way. HA!
I couldn't agree more!
ReplyDeleteAmen, sister! I have ALWAYS been an advocate for people who are looking to get pets to ADOPT... Love this post!! :)))
ReplyDeleteAMEN GIRL! Funny you write about this topic. There was just a HUGE battle going back and forth with a Lab rescue and family in my home town who decided to ditch their dog at the pound. Makes me so angry. I am glad you feel just as passionate about it as I do. :)
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has spent every minute I can spare rescuing animals, I appreciate this so much! When John and I were stationed on Cherry Point, I saw this all far too often! I want to thank you so much for voicing this!
ReplyDeleteI work with Lab Rescue of Florida and we get owner surrenders all the time because "the family decided to have a second child" "family is moving" etc. I CANNOT STAND IT. My sweet pup is a member of my family, and just like no one would leave their toddler behind, my pup is always going to be with me-no excuses! Drives me nuts. I'm so glad you posted about this!! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://adventuresofdutchandme.blogspot.com/
I totally agree with you! I have two kids and three large dogs (1 chocolate lab and 2 goldens) There is NO WAY I would ever give up my dogs unless they harm my kids....which I know they won't. My baby climbs all over the dogs.
ReplyDeletehttp://countryrootscityliving.blogspot.com/
twitter: @Linzer_00
AMEN! I could NOT have said it better myself!
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know people actually did this!!! I understand if the dog is becoming aggressive towards the baby but just getting rid of them is horrible! Some people don't deserve to have pets. It's a huge responsibility and it makes me sick when people don't think before they get a new pet. Way to preach it!
ReplyDeleteAMEN! I was an Animal Services Officer, I can't tell you how many dogs I picked up that were owner turn-ins because they had recently had children and just couldn't handle the dogs any more. I explained to them that turning the dog over to Animal Services did not guarantee a good home, that more than likely the dog was going to be put down because only a very small percentage of animals are ever moved to the adoption side. And, sometimes, I would be COMPLETELY honest with folks and tell them that the shelter was full and since the dog was an owner turn in, not waiting to be found, that the dog would likely be put to sleep that very day. They still handed them over. SAD SAD SHIT!
ReplyDeleteI'm 18weeks pregnant with my 1st, and I can guarantee you that we will be keeping my darling Sullivan (our 8 year old mini schnauzer). Why? Because he loves us unconditionally, he didn't ask for this baby, it's not his fualt. He'll love Baby unconditionally too.
Preach it!!!
I.LOVE.YOU my baby boy Tucker is my pride and joy and NOTHING in this world will EVER take him away from me. me is my first child and always will be (he's a bichon poo.. a VERY spoiled one at that) so again.. I.LOVE.YOU!!!
ReplyDeletePreach it sister!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you!!!! I find it so sad when people do this because the poor doggies and sometimes kitties can't exactly speak for themselves.They also don't understand why they suddenly have to leave the home and people they love. So glad you wrote this. I may pass it around to some girlfrieds. Unfortunately some people just see children and pets and convenient accessories.
ReplyDeleteI once wrote a post on this a long long while back and man did I get a lot of bullshit comments like "Oh everything will change once you have a kid you won't feel that your dog comes first"
ReplyDeleteI also recently de-friended a friend on FB because of her rants about how she had "had it" with her dog and was going to rid of him because he wanted to be walked constantly and she "didnt have time with her new baby' what I Really wanted to tell her was to get her fat ass off and put her baby in the stroller and walk her damn dog.
I'm on your side 100%. People who give their pets up I'll never understand. End of story. And I've had all kind of dogs, ones that had behavior issues, some that were perfect angels some that didn't like small children. We never gave up on any of them. :)
Amen sister!
ReplyDeleteI know that when I have babies I will still love my dogs just as much! There is no way I could give them away, then or now.
Thankyou for posting this! I am a huge dog lover and I agree with you 100% xx
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! I don't care if I had to live in a van down by the river to be with my pups, I would do anything for them, no matter what or who came along! They were your first babies and taught you everything about what it means to be a good parent, if you can't include them in your expanding family then it shouldn't be expanding!
ReplyDeletepreach on sista!
ReplyDeleteCOMPLETELY AGREE. This drives me up a friggen WALL when I hear about this.
ReplyDeletePreach it girl! My 2 babies are my children. No human baby could ever replace the way the make me feel. They've gotten me through hell and back more than once and at the end of every single day, they are there bouncing off the walls with excitement when I come home.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you! I could and would NEVER get rid of my dogs.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree 110 %!!! My pets are my babies!!!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. I love my Callie and wouldn't give her up for anything. She is a part of the family.
ReplyDeleteI think maybe the problem is the people who give them away never really see them as a part of the family, they just see them as a pet...maybe? I had twin boys and kept my Yorkie. He pretty much hates them but he leaves them alone. I will never get rid of him just because I had two babies.
ReplyDeleteYou couldnt pay me a millon to give up my dog!!
ReplyDeleteAMEN! That drives me nuts. There's no way I could give up my pets for anything!
ReplyDeleteAmen, my chocolate lab Sookie and my one-year-old Sawyer are besties. And it is because we took the time to let Sookie smell Sawyer's stuff before bringing him into her world and we let her know that his room was a special place by talking quietly in there and walking slowly with her when we went inside. It's a process, but well worth it.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. My husband and I got our first baby--a lab/pit bull mix--last summer, 2 months after we got married. He's the best ever. I'm already dreading the comments we'll get when we decide to have children and (hopefully) still have Newn--"You're going to keep a pitbull?!"
ReplyDeleteSome have pointed out that some dogs just do not do well with children. That is understandable. If that is the case, I think it is the owner's responsibility to find a good home for the dog, not turn him over to a shelter. That's how we got Newn--his previous owner was moving to CO where there are very strict pitbull laws. She also had another dog and it would have been a struggle to care for them both on her own. She took the time to find him a home and we're so glad she did :)
i totally agree. it literally breaks my heart when i hear of people who actually do this! more than likely it would be hard for the animal to adjust to a new home, IF it got a new home. kinda like a kid when you put them in a foster home..abandonment hurts. seriously those people should be ashamed of themselves..especially when they end up getting another pet down the road when their kid is older..pssh that's some bullshit.
ReplyDeleteFor all of you who say that you'd NEVER give up your pets for anything...assuming 1. you don't have kids or 2. you have kids and the pet is not aggressive. Until you're in that situation. Don't judge. Yes some people get lazy but animals do change and I'm sorry a child is more important than a pet. Your child is your FIRST priority.
ReplyDelete@ME with no comment reply set up. Im assuming youve done this since you are so passionately defending this terrible action and for that fact alone I dont think any of us give two shits about what you have to say. Be gone.
ReplyDelete-THE OWNER OF THIS HERE BLOG
Amen. I have a six month old and I can't say its been all rainbows & sunshine since she's been home, but my furchildren are here to stay. If they misbehave, its because I need to train them better. The end.
ReplyDeleteAhem, I guess I should clarify that my human child is here to stay too...
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