Are people dumping pets on the Interstates in Michigan?

[jmowreader]

I've spent the last couple of days driving I-75 and I-94 in Michigan, and I noticed something very strange: a LOT of dead pets alongside the road. Sad as it may seem, the only conclusion I can come to here (since most of them aren't real close to residential areas) is people are dumping them. Am I correct here or is there something I'm not seeing?

[EFerrari]

1. People are dumping pets in Golden Gate Park about two blocks away.

I'm noticing many more kitties out at night on my block. :(

[Gormy Cuss]

9. Around here pets have been left in foreclosed houses with a bag of food and a big bowl of water.

I'm convinced that my cat was abandoned that way because of some of his habits.

[EFerrari]

10. People are idiots. n/t

[chatnoir]

11. I found a black bunny still in his cage in GG Park

About 3 weeks ago. Just left there to fend for himself caged, on the Fulton sidewalk, half in the grass. A half-full bag of his feed next to it.

Not knowing what to do (as we have two felines at home) I called ACC where I volunteer and waited an hour for them to swing by and pick him up. :(

[EFerrari]

23. Oh, no. Well, he was lucky you found him.

I don't have any traps right now. But I'm thinking of getting one because these kitties are going to be coyote food or road kill on the Great Highway. The feral ones out here that hang out at the southwest corner of GGP at least know to avoid the coyotes. Indoor cats dumped probably don't. :(

[chatnoir]

26. I hope I did the right thing

I didn't know whether to release him and let him be 'free' or if he'd become someone's dinner if I did. So I called the animal cops.

We live right across from the park but I haven't seen any kitties yet, just the lone rabbit. Are they concentrated in specific areas?

You wouldn't believe how many of them are just dumped at the shelter "moved", "no time", "divorce" -- heartbreaking. And when they first come in, for the first few weeks, they are almost catatonic. They're so traumatized. :(

[EFerrari]

27. Free in GGP = coyote dinner

Out here at the Southwest corner, there is a colony of feral cats that rescue people catch, fix and release. I think though that people are now also dumping their cats there, too.

So sad to hear about the animals. I wish I had a bigger place. :(

[chatnoir]

28. That's what I was thinking

That even being a rabbit, despite his speed, something might turn him into dinner.

I wonder if it's ACC involved in the catch and release program? The domesticated ones -- they're all so deserving of love and a family home and then are dumped like yesterday's newspaper. Too sad for words, really. I'll never understand someone who could do that. :(

edit for typo

[surrealAmerican]

2. I don't understand it.

I can just about understand the desperation behind "dumping" a pet; but to do so where it will almost certainly be run over?

[emilyg]

5. I can't. It's kinder

to take them to a shelter. Seems selfish and lazy.

[ejpoeta]

12. except when you take them to the shelter and are treated like scum

by the person there. we had gotten a dog NOT from the shelter, which was our mistake i guess... this dog tore up our house. i mean the drywall was ripped off the wall by the door!! when outside the dog constantly got off the chain and ran off.when in the house if i opened the door a crack he would race past me and he was gone! imagine me with my 2 year old daughter trying to chase the dog down the road. after the animal control officer came for the second or third time bob took the dog to the shelter. the woman told him he was a horrible person. we just couldn't handle buddy, and i was so deathly afraid he would get hit by a car! if we ever get a dog again it will be from the shelter i think. we found out that buddy was adopted by someone my sister in law works with. they tried to take the dog back to the shelter because he was acting the same way he did at our house and the shelter refused to take him back. i hope they found somewhere to take him. i don't think that all the people dropping animals off at the side of the road are doing so because the shelter wouldn't take them... but i wonder if some of them are.

buddy was not our first dog. we got jimmy from one of bob's coworkers who already had two dalmations and lived in the city. jimmy was a german shepard. his owner had died and the woman was trying to find a place for a six year old german shepard. we live in the country, and took him. he was awesome! he kept the jehovah's witnesses from getting out of their car. he was a big baby and wouldn't hurt a fly. he was trained to sit and all kinds of stuff. well, we untrained him i guess. you would say sit and he'd just look at us with taht yeah right look.

he loved playing with sticks... would get whole fallen branches and bring them over and almost knock me over trying to get my attention by hitting the back of my leg with it. LOL! i miss jimmy. he died a couple of years ago. he was like 11. we buried him by the pond. he loved that pond. so we are not horrible people. we didn't want to have to get rid of buddy, but i was so scared of him getting hurt.

[northernlights]

20. sorry, but being treated like scum is not an excuse

It's not acceptable, on their part, but it's not an excuse for dumping a pet.

Feelings get over being hurt, and real grown ups won't take their bad behavior personally. On the other hand, the pet won't get over starving or getting run over or getting picked off by coyotes or whatever. And even if they survive, the trauma of abandonment can last a life time.

[ejpoeta]

31. oh i agree with you. i'd never leave an animal on the side of the road or anywhere else.

i am just saying maybe that is a reason, i guess. not a good reason. or perhaps the shelter wouldn't take the animal. again, not a good reason. i know that around here alone there are a few places one could take an animal... no kill shelters at that. they should have thought ahead if they had to move and such. usually if you give the shelter a heads up they can let you know when they have space available. i agree there is no excuse for dumping a pet.

[XOKCowboy]

30. Dumping a pet anywhere is usually a death sentence

They're domesticated animals. They depend on us for food. It's all they've ever known. If the traffic doesn't get them they're easy prey for local predators.

[surrealAmerican]

34. You're probably right about that.

There are sizable areas in this country with very few predators, but very few without traffic. And starving to death is a horrific way to go too.

[Mind_your_head]

3. I just heard a story from a friend of a friend who works at a vetenarians office.....

a guy came in asking them to euthanize his two kitties b/c "he had to move".

I was pretty appalled that he didn't at least try to find them a new home by offering them to an animal shelter.

Anyway, this veternarian gave them the names/numbers of a "no-kill" shelter and of another veternarian who would euthanize under such circumstances....

:cry:

[tblue37]

7. A few months ago my neighbor adopted a very large, handsome, adorable

1-year-old plus change dog that had been residing at a vet's office for 3 months. The couple who owned him were expecting a baby and decided they didn't want the dog any more, so they took him to the vet to be put to sleep! The vet couldn't bring himself to just kill this affectionate, sweet, gorgeous creature, so he kept him there at the office, trying to find a home for him. Finally, in desperaton, he had someone he knew send out a blast email to all the employees who worked where my friend worked. She went to see the dog and fell head over heels in love and adopted him on the spot.

He is such a gorgeous animal that her boyfriend says he feels proud to be seen out and about with him.

Every time I see this sweet dog outside, I run over to love him up. When I see him out the window I love to just watch him.

I am a total animal lover, and I have owned and been friends with many dogs; but I have never ever met a better dog than this one--including the dogs I have owned in my own life. Seriously, I am trying to wrap my mind around the sort of people who could have had this , gentle, well-behaved. loving creature for a year or so, raising him from puppyhood, and then just decide they didn't want to bother with him any more so they would just have him killed, not even bothering to try to find another home for him.

People make me sick sometimes.

[Muttocracy]

8. I hope they don't get bored with their new human baby! good for your neighbor :) nt

[ejpoeta]

14. put a dog to sleep just because you don't want it anymore!! uggh!

when we took our 11 year old dog to be put down, it was so awful. we cried. we only did it because we watched him suffering. he couldn't even move anymore. if i thought he had a semblance of his life i wouldn't mind cleaning up his crap off the floor. but he would just lay there in it!! to kill a perfectly healthy animal for no other reason than you don't want them anymore. so sad. are there people who will do this??? i mean, i know that animal shelters do... some of them.... for space which is bad enough. but are there vets who will do that for that reason??!

we had a dog a long time ago who had belonged to a friend. a black lab named dakota. josh had found him abandoned in the woods. poor thing was almost dead. they brought him home and took care of him and got him healthy. that dog was the most loyal dog you'd ever see. when he came to live with us... he was the best dog!!! i remember him laying by my daughter's feet when she was a baby in her infant carrier. he'd lick her feet. he was very protective of her too. he hate fighting of any kind... even if we were just kidding around. he'd nip it in the butt, so to speak. he'd lightly bite someone involved in the butt to get their attention. never meanly, mind you. he was the greatest! we never could figure out why anyone would just leave a poor puppy to die like that.

[donco6]

18. That story makes me want to weep and hurl at the same time.

Anyone who loves dogs would feel the same.

Good for your neighbor. I'm sure he's been repaid many times over.

[tblue37]

33. Yes, every day my neighbor thanks her good fortune for

bringing this wonderful dog into her life. In 2005 she lost her beloved English bulldog just before the dog turned 4 years old. She hadn't realized when she adopted the bulldog that they had such short lifespans, but they do often die at around 4 or 5 years old. She wanted another dog, but she wanted a bulldog--but she didn't want a bulldog, because losing a pet you love after just 4 or 5 years is like having a child die every few years! (In fact, I no longer keep ferrets as pets because their life spans are too short and it rips my heart out when I lose one.)

She kept putting off getting another dog, because she couldn't accept that she couldn't have another bullie. People do tend to attach to one type of dog. (I love all dogs, but my faves are Afghan Hounds, ever since I had one in my 20s and 30s. But after meeting this precious puppy boy (whom she named Miles), she decided a great dog is a great dog, even if it isn't a bulldog.

Miles obviously has some pit bull in him. He has that broad, intelligent forehead and broad muzzle. But he is very tall and leggy---not as tall as a Great Dane, but with that sort of legginess. He is also broad in the chest and across the back, yet narrower in the hip and with a grace to him so that he doesn't seem bulky or clumsy. He is, quite simply, one of the most handsome dogs I have ever met. His short, sleek coat is red-gold.

He is a major kisser. We've been working on teaching him to confine his kisses to our toes, since he really wants to kiss our faces. But if one of us is wearing lip gloss or lipstick, all bets are off. He loves lip gloss/lipstick.

She adopted him and gave him a home, but he gave her the best companion one could imagine. I am jealous. If I could have a dog now, I would definitely want Miles! She got the best part of the bargain when she adopted this sweet baby.

[knitter4democracy]

4. I've seen that, too, on our stretch of I-94.

With 18.9% real unemployment here in Michigan, we're going to see more and more desperation and desperate acts.

[Iggo]

6. Sometimes the Interstate is "Puppy Lake."

[NNN0LHI]

13. I found one sitting on the side of the road where her former owner left her in December

She was sitting on the side of a 55 MPH speed limit road like she was waiting for her owner to come back and get her.

She is mine now.

Don

[ejpoeta]

15. that is so heartbreaking. a dog or a cat love you unconditionally.

we always had animals growing up. i can remember them.... how great they were. and loyal. no matter what! we had a dog who had obviously been beaten by a previous owner. the poor thing cowered in the corner. i never could understand how anyone could beat a dog.

[HillbillyBob]

17. We have 4 girls. All are rescues one way or another

Dora was a puppy, whose parents were champs of 2 differing breeds and the owner was going to put the litter down because they were not pure. She is loving kind and queen of the house, she is also my aide /seizure alert. Ashley(picked her own name!) was in a shelter she was a about 8 months old, the previous folks surrendered her because they lost their job, home etc. She had been locked in a cage with 4 dingoes for several months and they really thumped on her, she is smooth collie/retriever mix and sweet as can be(loud though!). Callie is a Maremma(tuscan sheep dog large white fluffy) and sheltie mix, sweet and guards the yard. I don't think she would hurt anyone, but she is large and strangers don't try to come in the yard. She was so starved and beaten when we got her she was afraid to be petted, her fur was falling out, ribs showing and eyes all sunken.
My partner had 2 rescues when we met, one had been stuffed in a plastic bag and abandoned and he other had been placed in homes with kids, they were small dogs and afraid of kids and loud noises. They are gone now, we think that the Frontline for fleas is what did them in.
We live out in the country and will take one or two at a time so that the others can get used to them and integrated into the pack.
The most recent is a mix breed Weimeriner and ? who is no suitible or hunting, but we think she may make a good alert dog like Dora. The other three have all become foster moms /aunties and helping to raise Emmy to be part of the pack and the family.
I don't see how folks could just dump pets if they are/were part of your family.
I do understand the desperation, we lost our home and went hungry in 2002, but we went overdrawn on empty bank accounts to make sure they had food, even if we did not.

[ejpoeta]

19. it's amazing. animals don't ask anything of us except love. i was watching

marley and me the other day and the way owen wilson described the dog said it all.... they don't care if you are rich or poor or smart or dumb.... they will love you no matter what!! we had contemplated taking jimmy to the shelter when we were on the verge of losing our home. but we knew it would be hard to find a home for an older dog. well, after our house burned to the ground and we lost everything... and almost jimmy and our two cats who miraculously survived being UNDER the house while it burned.... there was no way jimmy was going anywhere! i just couldn't imagine leaving him like that... alone in a strange place. I would love to go get another dog to have here. i am afraid after our experience with buddy who kept running off. I like to take dogs who are a little older, though. like jimmy who was 6 when we got him. we had a lot of good years with jimmy. and everyone seems to want puppies and i go to the shelter and see those poor dogs and cats stuck in cages. you almost want to just take all of them, but you know you can't.

[northernlights]

21. thank you

:cry:

[Mz Pip]

22. 3 of my 4 cats are rescues

The last one I got a few months ago. She'd been picked up off the streets in Berkeley when she was about 2 months old. The shelter kept her and tried to get her adopted out but she was too skittery. She was in danger of being euthanized so I took her.

She's still not real friendly but she does sleep with me at night. I think it will take time but eventually she'll come around.

[EFerrari]

24. Four of mine are rescues. Too ugly or behavioral to be adopted

and my rescue friend tried for a YEAR every weekend to do it. Two of them were abused by their owner AND their momcat. They wouldn't even look at me but hid behind doors for months when they were kittens. One of them healed up fine and she's now my evening lap cat. The other one is much better after four years but he'll never be a relaxed kitty. They hang out together and sleep together as if they're still babies.

The other two are the ugliest little girls you've ever seen. And the sweetest. One of them got starved out of her litter and I almost lost her. She's still scrawny but she owns the place. The other girl, Friday, spent the first three months hiding in my closet. She has a face that can curdle milk, lol, and has come around almost completely. She can hang out with the other cats now and even grooms the dog which is amazing to me because she used to scream every time anyone moved.

All of these guys were looking at being put down. I have mixed feelings about being over my two cat limit but it beats the alternative.

[etherealtruth]

16. I spend a lot of time on Michigan freeways (travel for work)

I have not seen that here.

[Ohio Joe]

25. People have done it for years

My dad lives in PA, not far from RT. 80, a pretty secluded area. People dump pets ALL the time and have done it for years. People there cannot take care of the pets that are dumped, it has no infrastructure do so (hell, they don't even have police or fire depts) as well as it being a very poor area. Cats are usually just chased away but dogs are shot on sight so they don't pack.

[XOKCowboy]

29. Our place is 10 miles outside of a small town and people dump animals all the time

Like a poster above said we've found dogs just sitting beside our road waiting for their "people" to come back. Like they'd been told "sit" and were obeying. We've adopted a couple farm dogs like that. Most though have no training, get hungry, pack up with other dogs and are shot on sight. Abandoned house cats are just coyote food.

[Mike 03]

32. We are seeing it here, personally; anectdotally, I am hearing horror stories from an animal shelter

in Los Angeles that I used to volunteer at.

It is getting very bad.