[diotima]

I donate money and goods to a no-kill cat shelter and my mother rescues German Shepherds from the animal shelter (she is a breeder). It is very unfortunate when people think it is simply a cute little "gift" to give a pet, however, animals are complicated, time-consuming responsibilities. They have behaviors, personalities and needs that must be regarded. There is nothing more disturbing than seeing a shelter filled with people's "gifts."

[Bella_Bru]

It used to rip my heart out to see the looks on the dogs faces that were left at the shelter that I volunteered at. They looked so sad. While I was happy that the owners surrendered the little guys instead of dumping them on the street, I still wanted to slap them silly.