I started this site, this boutique, because of my love of animals and a desire to save who I could from the euthanasia list. The inspirations for the name comes from my darling Peke-Tzu, Gaia. Absolute love of my life. Honestly, there isn’t anyone who’d meet her that didn’t instantly fall in love. She was a tiny 7lbs., well-mannered, playful, curious, loving, goofy and just the sweetest thing. And just 2 days after Christmas, another family member’s dog attacked and killed her. One that I had frequently warned them was getting more dangerous and aggressive.
My first, almost finished draft of this post was erased somehow, and I haven’t the energy to re-write it as stunningly as I did before. But I want to remind everyone that it’s important, it is literally your responsibility to ensure that you are meeting your animal’s needs. As Cesar Milan says, “find a dog whose energy matches your own”. That includes being realistic about your own energy levels! If you are a lazy bum, own up to it and get dogs who enjoy being lazy bums as well. There is no shame in getting a little lap dog if you are the kind of person Netflix asks “are you still watching?” several times a day.
If you find that your dog is high energy, high strung, high prey drive and potentially dog aggressive and you can’t be the person that takes it on long walks, gets it fixed to curb the aggression or keeps the dog engaged in activities that wears it out, find it a home that can. Yes, you love the dog, you don’t want the dog to feel sad that you gave it to someone else, you worry about it, but you are being selfish if you don’t recognize that doggo is in desperate need of things you aren’t giving.
When you don’t, everyone is miserable and you increase the chances of something bad happening. I don’t say that to be melodramatic. This is a very real thing that happens everywhere and all of the time. People want a certain breed or size for some asinine reason without giving any consideration to the level of activity the dog is going to need. The dog, frustrated and bored, begins acting in ways that are not pleasant. They often start becoming more aggressive and things spiral out of control from there. Perhaps they attack, maim, maul or even kill someone else’s animal. Maybe you, maybe another person. Maybe a child.
The culprit isn’t the dog or the breed, it’s the owner who has failed to take the necessary steps to properly care for the dog. And I say this as I mourn the loss of my most beloved fur baby, my everything, who was killed by a family member’s dog. Loving an animal, wanting what’s best for it can sometimes mean that you aren’t the best choice. Own up to it. If you really feel bonded to your dog, make the changes in your life or step up to the plate and find someone who can.