Dear :

You know, I struggled on how to address this “letter” because I don’t think you really deserve a salutation. I have to acknowledge you as something and it’s hard to come up with the right word that can encompass who you really are.  Quite frankly, I’ve never liked you. So, if I had to describe you it would be hard to say anything nice. Your kids are nice? And I PRAY they end up nothing like you. So what are you? You’re a loser, scum, dirt bag, simply the worst.

You see, I work in rescue, and I love dogs. I treat them as equals. I do not look at them as disposable objects, accessories, or beneath me. They have hearts, brains, lungs….they breathe, they feel, they think. They love…unconditionally. I am not better than them and my life is not more important than their life. Every day I see someone “rehoming” their dog. “We don’t have time.” “The dog has anxiety.” “The dog has too much energy.” “I’m moving.” Most excuses are despicable and they make me beyond angry—“we need to rehome our dog because we are renovating our home”. I’m sorry? What? “I am having a baby and we can’t have a dog.” Oh I get it. So the dog was just a substitute until you could “have the real thing”. They didn’t’ just give you years of their life or anything. They are disposable you’re right. Just like those shoes that you only wore three times but they aren’t in style anymore. One that really gets me is when they blame the “problems” they have with the dog on the fact that it’s a “rescue”. ALL DOGS HAVE PROBLEMS. ALL DOGS ARE INDIVIDUALS. A BREEDER DOG CAN HAVE ANXIETY. A BREEDER DOG CAN HAVE LEASH REACTIVITY. A BREEDER DOG CAN RESOURCE GUARD. But you know, people feel better giving up on a “rescue” because they were OBVIOUSLY broken to begin with…so they tried. -_-.

However, I am a reasonable person. I understand that life does happen. Sometimes you are forced to move and you cannot afford to care for this living, breathing animal that you promised to love and care for their entire life.  I know circumstances like that exist. I understand that you can’t risk an incident with your child. Although I most certainly don’t agree with many of the reasons I am open to hearing them because, well, what kind of life would the dog live in a home that doesn’t want them? But for the love of god, I do not understand issuing a dog a death sentence (AKA the pound) because at 13 years old “she scratched too much.”

Isn’t that what you said to me? Oh no, I forgot. When I asked where Zoey had been you said “who? Oh that dog? She’s dead”. Point blank “she’s dead”. Now the way you phrased that most certainly confused me. There was no sense of compassion. It was just cold. I mean I know you couldn’t have cared less for Zoey, but “That dog? She’s dead.” Is just a very odd statement to make. Sensing my confusion and shock you tried to correct yourself but you really just dug a deeper hole showing that even when you think a person couldn’t be worse, they can. “I mean, we took her to Franklin County. She wouldn’t stop scratching. She was dying I guess.” That wasn’t enough you continued. “ I mean they said they could find her a home but she was a pretty terrible dog. She had to wear that cone because she scratched so much. If we took it off she would just eat her tail and butt….she was dying.” Trying to collect myself and answer calmly I mention “Yeah I remember she had that cone on. So she didn’t get better? When was that?” “Oh we took her in probably November or December. She wouldn’t stop scratching. We tried everything.” (I would like to say that an oatmeal bath here and there, and a cone is most certainly not “everything”.) “So yeah, we took her she was terrible so she’s probably dead now. I mean she couldn’t be around kids or other dogs.” At this point I was most certainly confused, livid and all sorts of other things. You have three kids, and another dog. Zoey also got along with my four dogs without issue so that seemed odd to me. “But she was fine at your house with your dog and kids?” “Yeah after like a year. She was awful and you know she shed and my wife is allergic to dogs. We shouldn’t have had her in the first place so it’s for the best. She was dying anyways.”

I know this is addressed to Zoey’s “owner” but for anyone else reading this let me tell you about Zoey. Zoey was a Jack Russell Terrier. She was inherited about 2 years prior when his wife’s mother died. Given Zoey’s age (13) it seemed that she was pretty well taken care of for a 10-11 year old dog. Zoey LOVED to be outside. She enjoyed being a Jack Russell. She loved to chase squirrels and just run around in the yard. In fact she loved it so much that her “owners” left her out for hours on end whether it was below freezing, or 90+ degrees. On multiple occasions I went over to ensure she had water and/or to ask them to bring her in for her safety. They would get annoyed because she would ask to go in then right back out…like most every dog who has a beautiful fenced in back yard. Zoey started to develop a skin condition and began scratching like crazy. They gave her some baths and threw a hard cone on her for months. Assuming that a cone could stop the itch, they kept it on her at all times even when she would play in the yard. The only time they took it off was to feed her. However “we couldn’t feed her because every time we took the cone off all she wanted to do was eat herself because she was dying.” I prefer to call that “relief”. She finally was able to try and make herself feel a tiny bit better for ten minutes a day. Zoey did eat, she had a yard, they let her out, and in some cases this is all we can ask from people. But Zoey deserved more just like all dogs in her situation or even worse situations. Zoey and many dogs like Zoey wasn’t loved after her real owner died. Zoey went two years being neglected of love and we all know dog’s lives are way too short to not know love day in and day out.

So in case you were wondering, Zoey was not “dying”. Zoey had a treatable condition—sarcoptic mange. Let me tell you that this condition is uncomfortable, painful and really bad. It’s treatable and will go away. Zoey had moist dermatitis on her ears which is very uncomfortable but again controllable. You want to know what else Zoey had? She had healthy clear ears, a strong heart, and good clean lungs. She didn’t have muscle, neck, head, or spine issues. She was just getting older with immature cataracts. She needed her teeth cleaned and to be cared for like a senior. Zoey was healthy, but given her age, pain from untreated skin issues and the awful things you had to say about her there would be no way for her to make the adoption floor.  

You failed her but I know you don’t care. You gave Zoey a death sentence. Her number: 98834. This is what you reduced her to— A number on a list to be killed. You dropped her off at a shelter to be killed alone without anyone she knew. And you couldn’t have cared less. In fact, you felt like she deserved to be killed. Lucky for Zoey there are animal rescuers.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. There are people in this world that can see an older dog as “good as dead” and there are people that actually see the dog for who they are. A living being that deserves to live every day to the fullest. They see the age but they see the heart and desire to live. They see the strength and the love. These people deserve the unconditional love of a dog. People like you don’t—but dogs love unconditionally, unfortunately. Zoey was probably confused. She was probably scared too. But she’s safe, alive, and happy all because you threw her away and a rescue group saved her. Her bio read:

Zoey (affectionately renamed Sophia Petrillo from the Golden Girls by her foster mom), may be a 13 year old Jack Russell Terrier but she is quite active. She loves going on walks and doing what dogs half her age do.
“She’s dying” seems a little off doesn’t it? She loves walks. I knew she would. You probably didn’t know that though because in the two years you had her you never even bothered to walk her. You just let her sit outside for hours on end alone. Sometimes you let her hit her face on the fence for so long that it would bleed. She likes to go on walks and be with her people, just so you know.

Her owner passed away and the family left her at the county pound. Colony Cats (&dogs).
You must have not told them that you kept her for two years. You kept her from a home that would take care of her and love her for two years. What a way to honor your dead mother-in-laws memory. Abandoning her dog, and sending her to her own death far too soon.

Zoey does well with a variety of people, other dogs and isn’t a cat chaser either.
What was that about not liking people, kids, or other dogs? Just wondering.

At dinner time Zoey twirls around in excited anticipation for her meal.
She twirls. She is happy. She can eat without scratching again. Imagine that.

She has wonderful manners and is such a sweet dog.
Are we talking about the same dog you threw out? “She was terrible.” “she was dying.” “she was just a bad dog.” No. You are just a bad person.

Zoey has been adopted. She has a loving home far better than yours. You didn’t deserve to have her or any other dog for that matter. I wish I could express the amount of hatred I have for you and people like you. But, I choose to put that energy into rescue. I help rescue dogs from people like you.

I hate you for taking two years away from her. I hate you for letting her body go through pain when all you needed to do was take her to the damn vet. I hate you for taking her to a place she would be put to death. You are part of the reason that our shelters are full with dogs just waiting to die. 

Thank you for finally allowing Zoey to have the life she deserves. A death sentence was far better than living another day with you. 

Sincerely,

Margot