What scales could I possibly use to measure the extent of the callousness owners exercise to abandon their pet just because it was too much responsibility than what they had anticipated. It pains me to see these creatures left to fend for themselves, my heart aches, every time I hear a story of animal abuse. 

Owning a pet comes with responsibilities equivalent to having a child. Have the heart to take care of it or don’t adopt one at all. 

Invest in a new hobby, because buying a pet is not the answer to your boredom.

I once heard a friend regale how he accidentally ‘forgot’ his 20-day-old pup in his rented apartment. He had gone out to make a ten minute trip to the grocery store, leaving a little dog food for the little one. That’s when his friend called to tell him of plans to leave for the outskirts of the city. He left behind his infant pup, that was still learning to eat from its container. It’s instances like these that make me think time and again that we may find a cure for cancer, but not for human apathy. The little one was so scared that he would not leave its human’s lap for the next fifteen days, seeking solace from its perpetrator.

Did it ever cross your mind that these are living, breathing creatures?

People often buy their little ones a pup, so that the child feels loved. But the treatment met out to the pup changes once the child grows up, as if the pet was just a means to an end, a mere decoration that gave company while growing up. Later however, the dog remains unattended, tied to a corner in the house, craving for love and attention, and overjoyed when the owner maybe just pets the furball once in a while. Tell me, how does your human conscience allow such ignorance? Do you not cringe at your existence for betraying the one thing that has given its all to stick by you?

What’s the excuse these half-crazed animal lovers have for their behaviour?

I see ‘dog-lovers’ who have the best of pedigree pups that were bought just for the sake of having a little something to run their hands through when they’re bored. It’s heartbreaking to watch the pooch always wag its tail and pounce on the owner with all the love it can muster, whether the owner gives a damn or not. It’s almost like your mother entertaining herself with your company, feeding you when she finds the time, and knowing all the while that you’re a sidekick and she has better things to do. You rob that dog a chance to find a better home. But then you love animals, and love finds its own ways, right?

How can you heartlessly abandon the creature that loves you unconditionally?

Because most people whose exotic puppies grow into unmanageable mongrels are the ones who could not spend time with them enough to train them. You cannot expect Rottweilers to grow into docile, tamed, pets. If you had the balls to buy a breed that’s as ferocious, you should also mentally prepare yourself to train it. Remember the hue and cry on Twitter not long ago for an abandoned Saint Bernard that had been tied to a park bench, with nothing to eat. 

The reason was an injury that had left the pooch handicapped. Another instance is the Great Dane that was found wandering the streets of Mumbai, left to die. Tying up your pet to be randomly found by a stranger, will have Karma come back and bite you in ways you won’t even realise. Your pet has unashamedly and unconditionally loved only you. I am guessing betrayal is the price these voiceless creatures pay for all the love they have to bestow.

You cannot survive in the Thar desert, then why would you buy a pet that cannot survive the tropical weather?

This is for all of you out there who own the likes of Akitas, Siberian Huskies, and even Saint Bernards. No matter how hard you try to justify your love for them, no matter how much you claim to keep them in air-conditioned rooms, it’s not an answer to the severe conditions you are subjecting them to. Just like the penguins kept in the Mumbai zoo. They are not adapted to survive the humidity and temperature of a tropical country, aren’t we being a tad too selfish with our curiosity by keeping them hostages here? ‘Selfish’ does not suffice to describe the indifference towards their suffering for our shoddy entertainment. 

You protect your leather jackets from the slightest smears, how can you not feel the same about your pet?

Almost every pet, and particularly dogs, need physical exercise. They need the sun, some fresh air. Keeping them cooped up in your apartment because you do not have time to take them for a walk at least twice a week makes you a sorry excuse for a pet owner. Again, it’s just you indulging in a hobby, refusing to accept the duty that you undertake while bringing up another life. Whether a Labrador or a Tibetan Mastiff, if you cannot make them priority enough, then go feed the strays outside your house. There’ll be some good that you’ll do for the world, and also have a dog that loves you.

Don’t let time take its course and just tie it up where they might be chanced upon and taken in by strangers. Seek help from an adoption center or even a friend. It’s the very least you can do for a living being whose life revolved around you and only you. That, and stop taking them up as a way to spend all that extra cash you seem to have stacked up. Rent a suite, go for a royal vacation, have the most expensive truffles for breakfast, but don’t buy that exotic pet just because you can. All lives matter, after all.