COVID Dogs?
Dear Frankie,
I noticed there were fewer and fewer dogs at the park over the last month.
Last week, I mentioned it at the CC (Canine Concerns) support group. That’s where I learned that these dogs were returned to shelters they had been adopted from during COVID.
I said you mean like Roscoe, Lily, Rags? Sadly, they shook their heads yes. They said their parents had gone back to work and could no longer “cope’ with a dog.
Hector said Roscoe was so angry about being left alone all day that he ate the leg off the dining room table and a few other things. Lily couldn’t hold it for 11 hours and repeatedly messed on the rug. And Rags ate the chocolates on the coffee table and had to go to the vet and have his stomach pumped.
Don’t these owners know about doggie daycare, dog walkers, and the perils of chocolate for dogs? Don’t they see the trauma of abandonment? How do they know their dog will get adopted? None of these dogs are the same cute, cuddly puppies they were when these doofus parents adopted them.
At dinner that night, I asked my mom and dad, “Are you going to return me to the shelter?”
My mom asked, “Why would you even think that was possible? Of course not. We told you we were your forever family.”
I told her about my friends at the park and burst into tears. My mom rushed over, picked me up, and then sat on my dad’s lap. We then had a group cry and a family hug. Why can’t all dogs have a great family like mine, Frankie?
Flash
Dear Flash,
When I saw your name on the envelope and read your letter, I thought you too would be another flash in the pan. But instead, I was relieved to learn that you have the kind of family all dogs deserve. There are other humans like your parents who feel å woven into the fibers of their souls.
Some humans, however, are selfish and self-centered. They have transactional relationships, which means they befriend people and animals who can do something for them. But, when it comes to the time that they no longer serve them a purpose, they dump them.
Some humans can’t love deeply or hold another close to their hearts. I can only imagine what Roscoe, Lily, and Rags are thinking and feeling. I hope they don’t believe it was their fault. We can only hope they will be adopted by a mature and responsible family ready to make a lifelong commitment to them.
Thanks for writing in. Let’s hope it’s a wake-up call for those thinking about returning their dog to the shelter or, worse yet, leaving them out on a country road where some friendly farmer and his wife will adopt them. How many times have we heard that fairy tale?
Best, Frankie
© 2022 Geneva Woodruff
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