h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Why do people purchase or receive for free pets that they do not really want? They must not want them because they never pay attention to them. I see these people who own cats but never go near them or allow them into their home. They own dogs but keep them in a small pen never thinking about the heat and how miserable it makes the poor thing.
I mention this because down the road from me is the sweetest most gentle dog I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. This dog is meant for cold climates, he is covered in long thick fur. Never once has this dog, to my knowledge, been bathed or groomed. Never has this dog been allowed inside (even during the worst of heats). Never have I seen the first person who lives in this house play with this dog. It just wanders from one end of his pen to the other . What makes me even sadder is that this is not a freak occurance, it happens all the time. You do not have to look far to see a pet being ignored. So tell me, why do people have pets they do not want? If they treat their pets this way how must they treat their fellow man?
AA

I wish I had an aswer for you AA but I can't - I wish I could.
Is there a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals where you live? Perhaps they need a call...

that is the saddest part of it all...there is such a thing but they have their hands so full with things of this nature and worse on a regular basis that they cannot possibly do anything about it
the other part is that it seems that purchasing or receiving a pet then leaving it outside in a 'pen' instead of making it a part of the family has become an accepted practice and if you try to reason with the ones who do this they have all sorts of answers for why they treat their 'pets' in this way.
for me their replies are all a bunch of bullhockey but they have convinced themselves that it is ok and there is nothing wrong with this kind of treatment because in their minds it is only an animal...in their minds it has no feelings and does not understand...i wish they knew, i wish they could be in their pets place for a day then i think they would understand and come to realize that pets do understand and they do have feelings.
AA

the other side of this that bothers me to no end is that they have done a few surveys and such finding that people who abuse or neglect animals are more likely to abuse or neglect their children/spouses. it is quite unsettling to know that for every animal you see being hurt there could be at least one human going through the same thing .
AA

thats very sad.

it is quite sad indeed. i try to do what i can and hope that if everyone else does what they can maybe someday it won't be so sad.
AA