Life situations change quickly. It can go up today and down tomorrow. Lucky, our 2-year-old Catahoula Leopard mix, has been doing well. This dog, who had been in a warm home for a year and a half, was returned to the shelter. At first, many people condemned this cruel act of abandoning a pet, but his parents had no choice.
“Lucky wanted to chase the neighboring chickens,” the shelter’s Facebook post reads. “He escaped several times despite their efforts…We don’t fault them. We were not in their shoes. We could see how hard the decision was for them.”
However, poor Lucky had the hardest time.
His Heart Was Broken
The shelter where Lucky originally came from didn’t have enough room to take him in, so the Halifax Humane Society in Dayton Beach, Fla., stepped in.
Lucky’s former owner confirmed to people at the shelter that the dog was house trained and well trained to walk on a leash. This impressed everyone present and he was accepted into a shelter. This dog was first and foremost a good boy, but he had to leave the old life he loved so much. It was hard for the original owners and the shelter to see Lucky’s insides again. Especially for Lucky himself. His whole world was turned upside down.
He was friends with Kitty.
After his parents abandoned him, Lucky was so shaken that he could not stay long in his kennel.
“Lucky got a break from his kennel today and spent some time as an office dog,” the shelter wrote. “He was reserved and shy but settled in after some cookies and a blanket to lay on.”
That scene truly broke their hearts because they saw how difficult it was for him without human attention and love, as well as without a warm home.
He even went nose to nose with one small kitty. At that moment, it was as if he wanted to show that he was sorry for what he had done and that he loved small animals. That was such a sweet moment.
“But we would recommend caution since he does have a history of chasing smaller things that run,” with heavy hearts, the people from the shelter still had to warn potential adopters.
However, in the comment of that same post, they wrote that he lived with a smaller dog, met a few new dogs through the kennel, and was very nice.
“Owner said he was shy but friendly with unfamiliar dogs,” HHS added.
Not everything is so bad, and Lucky really knows how to be a good boy.
The Problem Is Real
While these situations are very real, the challenges of getting your pet back are also very real.
According to PBS, there are several reasons for this. One of the most important is the high cost of food and other essential products, which increases every year.
This is a real question, but unfortunately, many owners abandon their pets and return them to shelters for trivial reasons. Your pet may have a minor health problem, may need activities such as regular walks, or the owner may simply be bored.
This shelter, like many others, regularly highlights this issue and encourages people to be responsible when adopting a pet. It also encourages other people (if they can and want to adopt a pet) to adopt someone from the shelter. Shelter overcrowding is a bigger problem that is getting worse not only in Florida, but across the country.
“If you can’t adopt, consider fostering, if you can’t foster, consider volunteering, if you can’t volunteer, please just share their stories so they can find potential adopters and start the next chapter in their rescue story,” the shelter wrote.
Your good deed can sometimes be a ray of sunshine to those who see only darkness within the four walls of their lonely kennel.
We hope that Lucky will also get out of his sad place and find a home where he will be happy again.
