Here's your daily animal-related sniffle story, complete with happy ending (hat-tip to 
rainjewel for the link):
Nice Moon Boots, Bro: First dog fitted with prosthetic boots on all four feet. The accompanying video of the dog galumphing around on his new paws is adorable and sweet.
That being said, WHO THE FUCK ABANDONS THEIR DOG TO A NEBRASKA WINTER?
Reasons That Are Not Sufficient For Abandoning Your Pet
Allergies (my mom's cat allergies were so bad she was coughing up blood a week after we adopted the kitten, and she still refused to re-home the animal until my grandmother agreed to adopt her). Get some Zyrtec and kleenex and suck it up; you should've investigated before you brought the animal home.
Cost. Owning animals can be expensive; _somniac_ is skipping baseball games, bar trips, and food more expensive than pasta and sauce for the time being in order to pay for her cat's 1400 dollar dental vet bill. If you aren't prepared for the responsibility that goes with the joy of pet-owning, don't adopt.
Inconvenience. Yes, it's obnoxious when your puppy or kitten sheds all over everything, eats your shoes, messes on the carpet, and chews up expensive leather items to the tune of $5000, not that my family has personal experience or anything. Get the dog trained, put your clothes in the closet & shut the door, and re-consider adopting that adorable fuzzy dog if your home is carpeted in expensive white shag.
The joy of owning an animal that loves you and accepts you without reservation or judgment goes hand-in-hand with the fact that pets are a responsibility. Your apartment is small and doesn't have a yard for your puppy to run around in? Make time to talk the animal for walks. Your cats take great delight in anger-peeing outside the box whenever your boyfriend comes over? Invest in cleaning supplies or spend the night at his place. If you aren't sure if you should get a pet, spend time with a friend who has one and ask them about the ups and downs, and do your damn research before you adopt. As far as I'm concerned, if you aren't prepared to deal with all the possible fall-out of bringing home a living, breathing animal, you don't deserve the pleasure of owning one.
Getting off my soapbox now to go back to my stats homework...
eta Bothlintsay and innerchorus pointed out that, yes, sometimes pet owners face the shitty choice of having a roof over your head or keeping your animals, when you can't find work or you have unexpectedly high, awful bills. In those cases, responsibly re-homing your pets can sometimes be the only option, and my heart goes out to anyone forced to give up a beloved member of their family because they have literally no other choice. I had hoped it was obvious that this post was not directed at people finding themselves in such a scenario, and I'm sorry if it seemed otherwise; my ire is primarily directed at people whose response at the first bit of trouble or cost is to dump the pet back at a shelter, or worse, simply abandon them somewhere. My bottom line is that pets are a responsibility, and that whatever the situation, you should treat them as such.
rainjewel for the link):Nice Moon Boots, Bro: First dog fitted with prosthetic boots on all four feet. The accompanying video of the dog galumphing around on his new paws is adorable and sweet.
That being said, WHO THE FUCK ABANDONS THEIR DOG TO A NEBRASKA WINTER?
Reasons That Are Not Sufficient For Abandoning Your Pet
_somniac_ is skipping baseball games, bar trips, and food more expensive than pasta and sauce for the time being in order to pay for her cat's 1400 dollar dental vet bill. If you aren't prepared for the responsibility that goes with the joy of pet-owning, don't adopt. The joy of owning an animal that loves you and accepts you without reservation or judgment goes hand-in-hand with the fact that pets are a responsibility. Your apartment is small and doesn't have a yard for your puppy to run around in? Make time to talk the animal for walks. Your cats take great delight in anger-peeing outside the box whenever your boyfriend comes over? Invest in cleaning supplies or spend the night at his place. If you aren't sure if you should get a pet, spend time with a friend who has one and ask them about the ups and downs, and do your damn research before you adopt. As far as I'm concerned, if you aren't prepared to deal with all the possible fall-out of bringing home a living, breathing animal, you don't deserve the pleasure of owning one.
Getting off my soapbox now to go back to my stats homework...
eta Both
lintsay and innerchorus pointed out that, yes, sometimes pet owners face the shitty choice of having a roof over your head or keeping your animals, when you can't find work or you have unexpectedly high, awful bills. In those cases, responsibly re-homing your pets can sometimes be the only option, and my heart goes out to anyone forced to give up a beloved member of their family because they have literally no other choice. I had hoped it was obvious that this post was not directed at people finding themselves in such a scenario, and I'm sorry if it seemed otherwise; my ire is primarily directed at people whose response at the first bit of trouble or cost is to dump the pet back at a shelter, or worse, simply abandon them somewhere. My bottom line is that pets are a responsibility, and that whatever the situation, you should treat them as such.Current Mood: 
pissed
pissed15 songs | Sing