Name: Abandoned Pets.
Age: Difficult to determine with a turtle. The German Shepherd mix was about six months old.
Ah, puppy! I’m afraid it’s not a happy story. We’re talking about abandoned pets.
nooooo! Where? United States. Specifically the San Francisco airport in the case of Polaris.
Polaris? The German Shepherd, sorry. Actually, this one works well in the end.
Continue. The dog was abandoned at customs by a transit passenger who did not have the correct documents. Polaris was later adopted by a United Airlines pilot.
Hooray! There’s more though, right? – I’m afraid. That was last year. Over the past few weeks, there has been a spate of animals abandoned at US airports. Another dog was surrendered to staff at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. But it gets even weirder in Des Moines and Las Vegas.
Not weird places… Enough! The pit bull, named Ali by staff, was found tied to a pole outside the Des Moines airport. Joe Stafford of the Iowa Animal Rescue League, who helped rescue and care for Ali, said, “It’s the wrong thing to do.”
Well, obviously! Then at Harry Reid International, in the Las Vegas Valley, a nine-week-old puppy was found abandoned by the departure gate.
Nine weeks! And a turtle of unknown age was found in the toilet. (As in what Americans call the toilet, not the actual toilet.)
Name? She/he (also hard to pin down) was renamed Boeing.
Concorde would have been better. So do people come to airports with animals without knowing the rules for traveling with them, then just dump them? It is difficult to understand: the abandoned have not said much.
Sort of The Terminal meets The Incredibles if you’ve been picturing the movie. However, this is not a movie: it is both true and false. And don’t just say in America…
Are abandoned pets a thing in the UK too? — I’m afraid, but not so much at airports and the reasons are clearer.
Cost of living crisis? – I’m afraid. A report by Pets4Homes found that almost a fifth of pet owners are going into debt to pay for their pets’ care, and almost one in 10 are considering giving up a pet. Large dog breeds are the most commonly given up for adoption, with Staffies and German Shepherds topping the list.
Still better than dumping them at Luton airport. It’s true, but 60% of rescues saw a drop in rehomed pets last year.
God, are these the saddest, creepiest notes ever? “I’m afraid… yes.”
Say, “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.”
Don’t say, “Upgrade, but only if I lose the turtle? Yes, go ahead!”
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