Abandoned dog finds home—world sees rise in pet abandonment

As the world sees a rise in pet abandonment, news of an abandoned dog breaks in Toronto, Canada. The dog was found in the city’s West End with a note found on him, reports cp24.com.

The Toronto Humane Society found Max in a neighborhood park of the aforementioned West End—specifically the Primrose Avenue Park—and the note attached to him specified his age, the fact that he was good with children, and that the owner who had abandoned him had indeed lost his living space and employment.

Pet abandonment is at an all-time high. Read on to discover the main reasons for  abandoned pets:

The good news here, stated Jacques Messier, the CEO of the Toronto Human Society, is that Max has already found a home.

"“We are thrilled that Max has found a new, loving family to spend the rest of his life with…Max serves as just one example of many animals that we see each year at Toronto Humane Society. As the economic environment continues to cause people to make tough decisions, our Programs and Services, like Urgent Care, are going to be in higher demand…”via cp24 (link above)"

But the issues of pet abandonment went up at a considerable level during the pandemic, at which time many adopted pets during the height of Covid-19 were sought after and adopted at a maddening rate, but once these individuals (adopted fur mommies and daddies) returned to work, a high number of those pets were abandoned. But moreover that, former pet owners are blaming inflation for the abandonment, reports The Washington Post (link below).

The director of shelter outreach and engagement at the Humane Society in the US, Lindsay Hamrick, states:

"“It’s not the students who are moving and leaving their animals. … It’s people who were losing their jobs or losing their apartments, or maybe they didn’t set aside enough time to figure out what they were going to do with their cats when they moved.”via The Washington Post"

The issues regarding this are far more complicated than most can figure, states four-paws.org. The effects of such abandonment as well…. In cases like we saw in Toronto with Max, he thankfully got adopted, but in so many other cases, that happy ending is not an option.

The site states that glaring concerns for abandoned animals include: dangers of the road as strays that the animals can face; out of fear, they can also be a danger to members of the community and face a future of uncertainty because of community reaction (which, let’s be honest, doesn’t at all end well), and the terrible list goes on and on.

In the end, weighing the pros and cons of adopting an animal go far beyond if he or she looks cute in the pet shop window.

That’s a life you will be holding in your hands…a life that matters, and weighing everything in an individual’s life from job security and financial peril are things that should be thought about at length before taking the plunge and offering one’s home to a dog, cat or any other critter that desperately needs a home. Their lives depend on it.

To donate to the World Wildlife Fund: WWF / Donations