Owners Disguise Dogs as Strays So Rescue Centers Take Them In

In recent times, there have been multiple reports of dog owners pretending that their dogs are strays for the purpose of convincing rescue centers to take them in. This is a part of a broader trend of dog owners sending their dogs to rescue centers and other animal welfare organizations, which has been happening for some time now. As such, a lot of animal welfare organizations have become swamped with animals. Something that is causing fears that some of these animals will have to be euthanized to ensure that there are enough resources to provide the rest with an acceptable level of care.

Why Is This Happening?

The reason for this trend isn’t exactly mysterious. In short, it was well-known that a lot of people either purchased or otherwise acquired pets during the COVID-19 lockdown, so much so that it spurred a wave of pet thefts because of criminals seeking to capitalize on it. However, the COVID-19 lockdown has come to a conclusion, meaning that either this or something similar to this was to be expected. People entrust their pets to animal welfare organizations for a wide range of reasons. Often-times, they have become incapable of taking care of their pets, whether because of a lack of time or because of a lack of money. Other times, they have encountered circumstances that make it impossible for them to continue caring for their pet. For example, people might have moved to a place that forbids the ownership of pets. In contrast, people might have experienced some kind of serious medical issue, with the result that they are too impaired to continue caring for their pet. On top of this, there are those who have lost interest in their pet, meaning that they are no longer willing to put in the effort needed to continue caring for them. As such, it shouldn’t be very difficult for interested individuals to come up with guesses for why so many people are choosing to entrust their pets to animal welfare organizations. Simply put, a lot of people chose to acquire pets during the COVID-19 lockdown. Unfortunately, this means that they did so when they had a great deal of spare time without much to occupy themselves, meaning that pet ownership was very much one of the hobbies as well as forms of entertainment that experienced a boom because of those circumstances. Thing is – the COVID-19 lockdown is over, which in turn, means that a lot of things have returned to a relatively normal state. Thanks to this, a lot of people no longer have the spare time that they did when they acquired their pet.

Theoretically, it might still be possible for these people to make adjustments to their schedule until they are capable of caring for their new pet while living in a manner similar to how they lived before. However, that won’t be true for everyone because people aren’t necessarily capable of gauging the demands that pet ownership will put upon them during the COVID-19 lockdown and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Something that is particularly true for those with less pet ownership experience, meaning that they have less knowledge to fall back upon. For that matter, even if people could adjust their schedules to accommodate their pet, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they would be willing to do so. Never mind the fact that different people can have very different views on pet ownership. It has become common for people to see pets as either family members or at least something in that vain. Unfortunately, it is clear that there are still plenty of individuals out there who see pets as something closer to expensive toys. For these people, it is possible that they have already had their fun during the COVID-19 lockdown, meaning that they are now ready to give away their pet because the latter has lost their value. As for why some people were going as far as to pretend that their dogs were strays, well, suffice to say that isn’t exactly mysterious either. Animal welfare organizations can be less than enthused about taking in pets. However, they are obliged to take in strays because the latter don’t have anywhere else to go. As a result, the people who pretended that their dogs were strays were trying to get rid of their pets in a manner that made for the least hassle to them.

What Should People Consider Before Trying to Rehome Their Dog?

Of course, there are times when people have no choice but to give up their pets. It is an all-too-common thing for people to run into bad luck of one kind of another, which can have an extremely detrimental effect on their ability to take care of an animal. Still, if people are thinking about this, there are some questions that they should ask themselves before proceeding. To name an example, people should ask themselves why they are giving up their pet. In some cases, the reason might not be fixable. For instance, if someone is doing so because they have suffered some kind of serious medical issue, that isn’t something that can be fixed with ease. In contrast, if they are doing so because of something like bad behavior, they should know that pet training can work wonders in that regard. Moving on, people should also ask themselves if there are alternatives to the decision to give up their pet. If they are short on time, they might be able to find help from either friends or doggy daycares. For that matter, it is worth mentioning that dog sharing has become more and more popular as a practice, meaning that this is worth looking into as well. Besides this, it might also be possible for people to change either themselves or their pets to make the situation work, even though that can take serious effort on their part. Ultimately, giving up a pet should be considered a measure of last resort, particularly since animal welfare organizations are always struggling to care for more animals than what their resources can support.