Why do people drop their pets off at shelters? There are endless excuses.
According to the American Humane Association, the most common reasons why people relinquish their dogs are because their place of residence does not allow pets, there is a divorce or a death, or the pup has behavioral issues (and sometimes these behavioral issues are due to unknown disabilities caused through careless breeding).
Yet the most disappointing motive is laziness, or when the owner just doesn’t want to take care of the dog anymore. This is an awful reason, but even this kind of circumstance is slightly (and we emphasize the word “slightly”) more responsible than an owner who abandons their dog and leaves them in a hopeless situation, like this puppy who was locked in a dog carrier for days before she was discovered.
But when an owner drops off a dog at a shelter and then asks the shelter to euthanize her dog — who was still in fine health — well that’s a whole new low.
This is what happened to Mitsie, an 11-year-old beagle who was graying around her senior snout. After living with a family for over a decade, she was dropped off at a shelter in Atlanta, Georgia by her owner, who asked the staff at the facility to put her down because she was “sick" of her.
Fortunately, the shelter was made "sick" by Mitsie’s owner, and so they retaliated in a more compassionate way…
When Angels Among Us, a pet rescue, learned what had happened, they got savvy. They posted the following video on their Facebook page along with this message:
“Hi, I’m Mitsie. I’m an 11 year old beagle whose wonderful owner dumped me here. She told the shelter staff to kill me. She said she was sick of me and that was her reason for surrendering me. I can’t believe I was her friend for all these years. What a fool I was to not sense the truth. I probably knew, but chose to accept my fate and now look at me.
I’ve got my paws up here begging for someone out there to bring me home for Easter. I’m in a shelter and I don’t understand why my owner did this to me. I have this heavy feeling in my heart and stomach and can barely breathe thinking about what is going to happen. Or it could be that feeling you get when a relationship you valued is completely OVER! Out of no where!
You are my chance. Please restore my faith in humankind. Beagles live long lives! Although I want to turn back the clock to be young again, I regret that I have not figured out how.
I need a local foster home today and donations to save my life.“
[sic]
Thanks to animal advocates donating to the rescue, sharing her story, and rallying online, one day later, the rescue updated their Facebook page with the following message:
“Mittsie, the senior beagle, has left the shelter thanks to all those who donated and shared. We can't thank you enough! We are happy to announce that she is heartworm negative! She is so grateful as are we for so many reasons this morning. She will never have an owner dump her again!”
Please SHARE this powerful story as a reminder that dog ownership is a big responsibility that should be taken seriously!
