Less than 10 minutes ago, someone posted a Free to a Good Home notice on Nextdoor. The accompanying picture showed a gangly lab mix with great floppy ears and giant puppy paws he was still growing into. The person posting the notice explained that they were a senior couple who couldn’t keep up with this energetic young dog. Obviously, this is not a good fit. At the same time, what were they thinking when they made the decision to adopt a big, young, energetic dog? What did they expect?

Every dog I’ve adopted (I’m on number 4 & 5) was around a year old when I got them — full blown adolescence, the age that many dogs get broken up with. They’ve all come with quirks — some more than others. I have a dachshund — terrier mix that has some canine version of autism (my diagnosis). Still, I can’t imagine bringing her back to a shelter. Unless it’s a dog that is highly reactive and is a serious danger to other dogs, people, children, I couldn’t bear the thought of loading her into the car, driving to the shelter, dropping her off and driving away.

People need to be more responsible and educate themselves before taking on the responsibility of bringing a dog into their home. If you work long hours and prefer to spend the rest of your free time in front of the TV, a border collie puppy is not going to be the right fit for your lifestyle.