Saint Lucia: HelpAWS shares heartfelt message of frustrated animal lover

Saint Lucia: The animal welfare organisation of Castries, HelpAWS, shared a message of a frustrated animal lover on their social media platform. The statement read, “Dear adopters, would you give your child away if you learned they had special needs or behavioural issues? Would you eliminate them if their developing personality didn’t quite meet your expectations? If your child was struggling, having outbursts, and not following rules, would you wash your hands of them?”

It added, “I think the answer is known by all – absolutely no! Our dogs are our family, so when a person adopts and brings an animal into their home, we assume that the animal will become a cherished family member. Like a child, these babies depend on their person for basic needs and instruction, direction, education, love, & commitment. Trust and respect are earned.”

According to the post, with more dogs being adopted, one has had more adopters who seem not to understand the meaning of unconditional love and commitment. They wanted the fun, cuddly, cute puppy, but they aren’t willing to stick it out if the going gets tough. Their answer? Rehome their dog.

It added that since when is rehoming a family member a choice or option? It’s baffling, sad, and disappointing for us. Unconditional love, simply put, is love without strings attached. You don’t base it on what you get in return. You love them as well as want nothing more than their happiness, and you stay the course regardless of health, behavioural issues, or inconvenience. People talk the talk during their adoption interview, but too many fail to walk the walk!

The message stated, “Think about the resources needed to take back an animal that has been in a home for months, maybe years. Most times, these babies have not received training or consistent leadership, so when we retrieve them, we find ourselves with an adult animal that has a lot of bad habits, habits which will take time, money, and consistency to remedy. Usually, we have very little notice and are left scrambling to find an appropriate living arrangement for a confused, dejected animal.”

“Our interview process is extensive, but the one thing we can’t control is someone making a promise they aren’t prepared to keep. It’s heartbreaking, and these animals deserve so much more from the humans who promised to love them. Love, a frustrated Animal Rescue,” the message concluded.