People just suck

You know, I get a good run for awhile where there is hope for humanity. Then along comes reality and just knocks the stool right out from under hope. Yesterday was one of those days. I'm sure anyone and everyone in rescue knows the feeling, but I'll vent just for the hell of it.

I got an email yesterday from someone looking to place their dog. Seems they are leaving the country and don't want to put the dog through the move. Since they adopted him from the rescue I volunteer with, they would like to give him back. Oh, by the way they adopted him in 1992 when he was 10 months old, and he's been a backyard dog ever since. He doesn't have any health issues, other than being 14 years old. He's very good, gets along with everyone, but they don't think he'd make the transition to being a house dog at this age, and they don't think he would survive a winter outside in Switzerland so they liked to give him back. So he can live out his life in comfort. Outside somewhere, without the only sad form of a family he's known for the last 14 years. People suck. And things like this make me seriously doubt our ability to get to the truth when we interview for placements.

Then I have my own return coming back, after 6 years. He is the sibling of the 2 dogs my friends adopted from me 6 years ago (they adopted the mostly white one, and the one on the ground. Prince is the other one in the lap). The owner thought about returning him last year, because he's untrainable. Seems they took him to a class 3 times - not 3 different classes but attending 1 class for only the first 3 sessions, and the trainer told them he was untrainable - at 12 weeks old what puppy isn't easily distracted. So they didn't try to train him for the next 5 years. Last year I met with them and gave them some suggestions if they didn't want to give up on him. But I could have taken him back. They kept him, supposeldy to try. Now a year later they didn't try anything, still think he's untrainable - though without any effort I don't know how you reach that conclusion - and want to give him back.

Now, I know we rescues say we want the dogs back because we don't want people to just bail on them, take them to a shelter, or abandon them. But sometimes you have to wonder if you are perpetuating the disposable pet mindset by making it so easy for them to give them back. It's truly a rock and a hard place.

People suck. Whenever I start to have a little faith I just need to remind myself that for the most part people are really selfish, self centered, uncaring, unthinking, self absorbed bastards. Regardless of their political views. Regardless of their income levels. Regardless of their religious beliefs. Regardless of their social backgrounds. Most of them will bail on something meaningful in a manner that causes pain to someone or something else if it is to their advantage. There are a few good ones out there, and I am lucky to call some of them friend. But for the most part, People Suck.