A Singaporean In Australia

I didn't know the dog owner personally. I didn't know the full story behind the scenes. The scenario might not be even painted accurately to me. I was a third party. I wasn't involved. Most importantly, it wasn't my fucking business. But that sentence riled me to no end. I couldn't suppress it to the abyss in my mind all night, the shift of the sun didn't help matters, it really pissed me off.

If the entire family is migrating, the dog goes along. That isn't a rule of migration. It is the first rule of pet ownership. If only part of the family is moving, it is alright for the dog can stay if the remaining family members can provide the same level of care than before. Else, there is no exception. If your child can adapt to a new environment in a new country, a pet dog can do it better. Ask your child if he prefers to move to the ice mountains with his parents or stay in the same environment with new parents. A loyal dog of 8 years, still in the full pink of health, gives the same answer. No doubt about it.

If it is so easy to dispose a pet dog because of inconvenience, I wonder what these owners will do to their parents when they eventually expire out of their useful shelf life. I pray for their parents that they can retain a lot of wealth until they finally kick the bucket so that they will not experience the heartbreak of forsaking. I thought it will be the greatest favour a person can offer if she is willing to take in the dog you are abandoning. So you don't say you will give it up for free. How does it sound if you offer your child up for free? Nothing quite sound right here at all.

For all you people thinking of owning a dog to complete your Australian dream of living in a 4 x 2, driving a 4 x 4 with a voluptuous blond in a wet t-shirt on your lap and a fine dog at the back, remember the first rule of pet ownership forever: You can't choose your parents so it's either you get good ones or you're fucked. But you choose to own a pet so it is entirely your responsibility that it happens. 

It is because of your dainty little sweet dreams that adds to the demand market, in which the pet breeders happily supply for a profit. That is the greatest mistake right from the start. Like any criminal, you have to serve a long sentence to see out your mistake, to take care of your pet to its grave, at the very least. But no, not when the convenient option of dumping it to another person or an animal shelter or even the street, is available. What the heck, it is just a dog right? An animal. Do not ever forget the dog is bred because of your vanity. It didn't happen to be sitting in the shop for no reason.

As a dog owner for 27 years, I had lived and cared for 3 dogs abandoned by their owners. That is as long as some of you ever lived. I can tell you that the signs of trauma of an abandoned dog is obvious, take years to disappear and sometimes never at all. If you cannot treat a dog as part of your family, as part of your marriage where till death do you part, don't even think about having a dog. A dog cannot take care of itself like your child can eventually grow up to. You may think it is a really good idea today but what you have to do is to look in the future, at least 20 years from now. You want to go on trips and you can't bring the dog along. You want to migrate and don't want to bring the dog along. You may even turn mercenary and sell your dog to the next dreamer.

For fuck's sake, wake up from your dreams.