Voices from the Front Lines
I had a lady adopt a dog a few weeks ago. She has it about 4 days and comes in and wants to return it because “He’s depressed. He just sleeps on the couch all the time. I don’t think he likes me. He only gets excited when I first come home, then hen he goes back to sleeping and seems depressed.” Right…… Because being in a concrete kennel at a high volume shelter isn’t going to be depressing?
So she turns the dog in. The next day she comes back and pays to get him back out and tells us he is a really great dog and she definitely wants him.
Five days later she turns him back in and says he peed on the carpet once and she just can’t deal with it. – anonymous, KY
Once a dog is surrendered, it should never be released to that individual again and that individual should be placed on a “Do Not Adopt” list. No dog or cat should be subjected to the whim of an adopter.
What shelters really need is a strict adoption screening and follow-up program where volunteer adoption counselors are available to assist adopters with issues and to check up on adopted pets.
I whole-heartedly agree with Sandy. Of course there is going to be a period of time where the dog will need to acclimate itself to a new environment. Or, is mentally/emotionally/physically recovering from the stress of being at a shelter. Or, maybe she should have thought about the specific type energy level of a dog that she was looking for.
Bottom line: She made it perfectly clear that she is not equipped (mentally prepared) for adopting any dog. Obvious commitment issues in this case.
If only dogs could return their people.
sandy nailed it-strict adoption counselors before hand to teach what a new dog is like. Then a follow up call day or two later to answer questions. No way should she have gotten the dog back.
poor animal, peed on the carpet and got thrown out.