Letters to the Editor
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mckleroy
Does it make me a terrible, inhumane person if I would choose to make larger charitable donations (which I feel is more "worthwhile" for all of society and myself personally) instead of assigning that money to a pet?
Not if you realize you feel this way ahead of time and don't get a pet. The problem is when people get pets and then balk at paying for their care because it'll keep them from getting a diamond bracelet or plasma tv.
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pet care costs vs. shelter costs to the city
Here in Los Angeles, they are trying to reduce the sickeningly high numbers of animals that are put down in shelters every year. They did a study on why people give up their pets to shelters, and in many cases it was because they had a health problem that they could not afford to fix. One woman in the NPR piece I heard admitted this was the case with her dog, whom she loved to pieces, but as she couldn't pay for his treatment, she was going to let him go. They offered to give the dog the treatment for free--which ultimately was cheaper than the costs incurred by the shelter and perhaps later putting him down!--and she took him home, happy. I do think we need to look at the vet costs in this light. Maybe free clinics?
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mckleroy,
No, I don't consider you a "terrible inhumane person" but I do see serious trouble ahead if you're unable to understand your girlfriend's love for her dog. If she faces a choice like the writer of this piece did, I'm not sure you will be able to offer her the support she'll need.
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Life x death = ?
I have spent $10,000 on one cat's care -- and, in the end, she died. But I loved her that much, and I had the kind of income that allowed such an expenditure. I don't regret a penny of the money spent.
Currently, I don't have that kind of income, and if either of my cats became that sick, I would have a hard decision to make. I would make it the same way I made the decision before, factoring in different elements of my life.
What is my total income? What percent of that income is disposable? (Fur coat or fur cat?) How big a part does this cat play in my life? Am I always away, in the office, traveling, or going out every night? Or am I always at home, and the cat is my constant companion -- one whose loss would be keenly felt every hour of the day? How old is the cat? What is the likely outcome of the procedure? Am I a person who can say "I did the best I could within reason" and let it go, or will I brood over not having done enough, berating myself for not having spent just another $300? (Sometimes paying off credit card debt accrued in a good cause doesn't feel at all bad.)
These are not easy questions to answer, but, to make a decision that one won't regret, they need to be answered honestly.
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Pets
I am not going to get up every day and work hard to a lazy cat can sleep all day and wait for the idiot to come home and feed her. I can see having a sheep dog if you are a shepherd. Any other pet is essentially a lapdog, and I don't like the idea of working for a lapdog.
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The nature of living with the beast
Ada Calhoun's article should be required reading for all those considering getting any kind of pet. It's the nature of living things to deteriorate, and a prospective pet owner should think about the costs that may arise during a pet's lifetime. I myself, though not a wealthy person, am pretty solidly of the "whatever it takes" school; I'm still paying for emergency veterinary care a ferret received in 2001 but I don't regret it a bit (she was hospitalized on 9/11, and it seemed I had it in my power to make one small thing right in the world). I recognize that not everybody is willing to spend large sums of money on their pets, but a would-be pet owner should know in advance that by taking an animal into their care, they are potentially putting themselves in a situation where they will have to place a price tag on their pet's continued health, as well as on their emotional attachment to their pet.
I am surprised that Ms. Calhoun's vet didn't provide a financial estimate at the time of the cat's hospitalization, or perhaps that detail wasn't mentioned in the article. A responsible vet's office should do that. I also wonder how close a relationship she and/or her husband had with the vet. If your vet knows you are a level-headed, educated pet owner, you are more likely to get a more complete picture of your pet's prognosis. The vet may not mention euthanasia, but the vet will understand that if that's your decision, you are not making it lightly, and either support you or present you with the option to release the animal to a shelter. Keep up with your annual checkups for your pet, and be educated about the general health needs of your pet's species. A vet who can trust you to be a responsible owner is a vet you can trust to be straightforward with you.
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Jared2
You obviously know very little about having pets.
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Yesterday I had yet another run-in with some cretin letting her dog run loose...
in our busy neighborhood, stopping cars, tempting death, disrupting my walk with my husband and 2 of our dogs (leashed, of course)... and today this article, plus all these posts, humane and largely otherwise. Where to begin? Futile to respond!
But then I read this:
And by the way in our house, if a vet bill is going to be more than $500, the pet gets put down, humanely of course, we'll bury it in the forest adjacent to the house, mourn..in a pet sort of way.. for a month. then get another one.
Pal, though I know you don't give a damn what I think, my contempt for you is utterly comprehensive. I suspect you haven't had a pet for more than a year, as 500 bucks doesn't go very far. I'm sure it's pointless to explain to you that no, animals are NOT simply the furry equivalent of Black & Decker toaster ovens that can be replaced when they start to burn your bagel. They're not here for your convenience. You've got no business having a pet at all! By the way, if you have kids, what do you tell them? What are you teaching them? That money trumps love? That animals are entertainment, like that computer game that broke and ended up in the trash, but don't worry, you can just go get another one at Target?
Call me a bleeding heart, but here is what living with dogs has taught me: Whatever I do for them winds up being good for me. Exercise? My family doesn't always feel like taking six walks a day (2 per dog) but they're as good for us as for the dogs. Playing fetch for 15 minutes? Gets me out in the sun, helps me stay in the moment. Researching the best food for them? Reminds me to take care of myself, too. Sweeping up the dog hair? Reminds me that love is stewardship. And there's the thing: It's LOVE. Not less-than love, not lesser Babka. If you ask me to choose between my children and my dogs (a moronic exercise some idiot inevitably will suggest in response) of course I would choose my daughters, but that's a test humans are rarely asked to take.
And yeah, we paid $2300 we could ill-afford last year to make sure our 5 yo Golden/Collie mix will be able to walk beside us another 5 or 10 yrs. We didn't even discuss it. And when I see her chasing our terrier mix around the backyard, I know that what we did for her we also did for ourselves.
(By the way, anyone who's tempted to spend $400 on a rhinestone dog costume or $2000 for some tricky boutique breed that's only available seven states away, should first visit your local animal shelter. Hopefully, that will get your head out of your ass.)