Pets provide us with unconditional love and companionship, and even lower
our blood pressure. But sometimes they can make our blood boil when they act
like, well, animals.
Sadly, for too many animals exhibiting behaviors their
caregivers can't deal with, their fate is tragic:
They are given up, or
given up on.
Behavior problems top the list of reasons for pet relinquishment.
Thousands of other pets are given up because of lifestyle changes, such as
the birth of a child, or human health issues, such as family members with
allergies or illness. Still others are given up because their caregivers
couldn't find pet-friendly rental housing, or because their owners simply
had unrealistic expectations about what it meant to care for a pet.
For all these reasons, The Humane Society of the United States has
launched the Pets for Life program. Our goal: to curtail the numbers of
animals relinquished to shelters—or otherwise given up on—because of breaks
in the human-animal bond. To achieve this goal, we're developing a variety
of programs to empower pet caregivers to solve the problems that threaten
their relationships with pets.
- Our extensive collection of information sheets helps caregivers meet
the many challenges of pet ownership.
Cat Behavior
Information Sheets
Dog Behavior Information Sheets
If
you're lucky enough to share your life with a pet, you already know that the
relationship requires commitment and perseverance. Surely you remember when
you last came home to a chewed up pair of slippers (or worse!), a litter box
accident, or an eerily quiet house thanks to your dog's "Hairy Houdini"
escape act.