“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed,” said Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I completely agree with him.

When I was little, my mother had made sure I understood very well that owning a pet meant taking some serious and long-term responsibilities. She had explained to me more than once that when you adopt a kitty or a puppy, you have to take care of them, no matter what happens. They need to be fed, cleaned, trained, interacted with, and treated if they become ill, whether you have time / desire / means to do it or not. Mom made it clear to me that there was no “trial time” when it comes to pet ownership. Pets are not toys; you can’t take one, play with it, and then throw it away when you get bored with it. Mom had made sure I knew about the unpleasant responsibilities, too: “If your kitty throws up on the floor, you will have to clean up the mess, and if your puppy has diarrhea, you will have to wipe his butt.”

Today, I am very grateful to mom for teaching me all these things early on. The way some people treat their pets shocks me. Apparently, they were never taught the “Pets Are Not Toys” axiom. I am not even talking about abuse, I’m talking about neglect and easy abandonment.

I have a relative who readily takes in any pet offered to him and any stray animal that wanders to his house. What a kind-hearted fellow, you might have thought. Well, not exactly. In fact, my heart breaks every time I hear that he has taken in yet another dog or cat, because I know these animals will not be taken care of. Pets do not last long in this man’s house. While quick to adopt them, he hasn’t the slightest idea of responsibility that comes with it. He forgets to feed them, does nothing to make sure they stay away from the road, and never takes them to the vet. If they become ill, he does nothing, hoping that the problem will cure itself, and if the animal dies, which happens all the time, oh well. And if you tell him that it was his neglect that killed the animal, he will be genuinely surprised.

I know people who love dogs or cats but will not take any because they know that they cannot give them the best care at the moment. I have far more respect for this attitude than the above mentioned irresponsible “kind-heartedness.”