Shelter Confirms Many Families Surrender Senior Dogs In Order To Adopt Puppies

No one can deny that puppies are adorable, but a disturbing trend sees people abandoning or surrendering their senior dogs in order to adopt or purchase young puppies.

This happens with extra intensity during the holiday season, which is worrying given the current time of year.

Why does this happen? According to Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center executive director Pam Peebles, medical costs may be the main motivation. People fear that a senior dog’s vet bills will be much too high compared to a puppy’s – but this is completely inaccurate.

Puppies require vaccinations, booster shots, preventative care, neutering, and many more financial responsibilities. This means that someone who is worried about an inability to care for a senior dog should definitely not be going for a puppy!

On top of that, puppies are a big responsibility. They need training and often have a lot of energy, and yet people still seek them out as gifts or new additions to the family when the festive season rolls around.

If that was your plan, why not consider adopting a senior dog instead? They deserve forever loving homes, too, and they’re often already trained, more relaxed, and less likely to get into trouble.

Feature Image Source: Pixabay