Name reasons to adopt a special needs pet

compassion -- it would break my heart to think the animal would not be able to find a home otherwise.

the need to challenge myself -- do i have what it takes to give unselfishly?

ego, selfishness -- for the love and loyalty the animal would give me in return.

Because she needed me. I do own an epileptic dog and can't imagine not having her. She's sweet and wonderful and loving.

It's not what we give our pets--it's what they give to us, unconditionally I might add.

Because you need each other.

Besides, you already know you want to, or you wouldn't be asking for encouragement.
I say go for it.

And bless your kind heart.

To save a life, others will adopt cute healthy puppies and kittens.

Don't judge a book by its cover! Each dog has their own unique brand of love to share. Having a special needs dog, you get the opportunity to show your dog that you love them almost as much as they love you.

I adopted my half or three quarters blind rescue pug because she was the right dog for me and my family. I didn't want to raise a puppy again, I wanted a dog who was laid back to get along with my pushy Number One Pug, and she was one of the most adorable pugs I'd ever seen. She still had some issues with timidness - she had been a breeding bitch in a puppy mill and had spent her life in a cage with no socialization - but the foster families had done enough work with her that I felt I could handle it from there.

I suppose it's nice to feel that I can help a dog who the rescue seemed to think would be hard to place. But if we weren't the right home for her, it wouldn't have been doing her any favors, you know? So I'd say to be careful of the impulse to 'save' an animal unless you're sure the right person to do it. I don't think I'd have been the right person to take her when they first got her, for example - I don't know that I would have had the patience.

It turns out that in a lot of ways, a dog with really terrible sight is actually easier to deal with. She doesn't get into nearly as much trouble as the other one - she can't see the discarded chicken bone on the ground or the squirrel on the other side of the street that's just begging to be chased. So the answer to your question may depend on what the particular special needs are. They may turn out not to be as big a deal as it first seems.

Since we already had other pets, your other question didn't come into it. But that would be a dealbreaker for me, to take an animal who had to be an only pet. I have the good fortune right now to be in a position where I can afford more than one, so that would be too big a sacrifice.

Check out this YouTube video about Charlie. I don't think he really qualifies as a special needs cat, but he would have been put down in most places as unadoptable.

Well, I know having Lucky (blind cat) has shown me everything I didn't know about being blind. His other senses make up for his lack of vision and then some.

Having him taught me alot.

I agree with the group on the reason to adopt a special needs animal.

As for reference to a veterinarian? I typically list their name, DVM.

moonslice said:

by the way, i could not find this in AP stylebook. how do you show a vet's credentials? Dr. Tom Horton or Tom Horton, DVM. Second references, ok to just use the vet's last name?

Click to expand...

I have used both styles to refer to vets and either no one cares which or no one caught it. I was told that second ref for all doctor-type people is just last name just like anyone else.

I adopted a yellow lab years back that did have food allergies and I admit it was a pain in the butt at times (his allergies). Still, I would not have given that dog back for anything. He was one of the greatest animals I've ever owned. He was the product of a divorce and the wife treated him awful because he was really her husbands dog. The husband was in the band Poison and was gone all the time so the wife kept him. The poor thing was chained outside 24/7 and beat up by the other dog she bought. He was expensive at times but as far as my heart was concerned was worth every penny. I always knew even though a lab, nobody was ever going to mess with me because that dog would have ripped them apart. He has since died from old age but I know he had a great life with my family. At the moment I have another dog with food allergies. My daughter found him almost starved to death and brought the puppy home. We've now had him almost 9 months and once again is proving to be a great, loving and devoted dog. I think they know you've saved them and given them another chance at life. Once I fall in love I don't care if your legs are ripped off and you've got every problem out there, you are with me for the rest of your life.

We were chosen by a special needs cat who had been found by the side of the road after being hit by a car. Bless her heart... she weighed six pounds after several months of special treatments for brain swelling. She couldn't walk a straight line. Her eyes were crossed and she couldn't focus... but she found Ol' Boy, started purring a blue streak and almost brought him down rubbing on his legs.

She now weighs 17 pounds and rules the other two rescues with an iron paw. She also pins Ol' Boy to the sofa and the bed by draping herself over his legs so he can't escape.

Yeah... I'd take another one, given the opportunity. She's a treasure.

My dog has major food and other allergy issues and I actually find it a bonding experience. The fact is, I have to take more care of him and wipe paws, rinse him, put meds in his ears, etc. because of it and it gives him releif. Makes us closer...

Also--I don't have kids and we aren't planning on having them. I see my special needs dog as a lesson in love for me and my husband. After all, we should each try to make the world a better place, right? He has cost us a fortune--but I love him more than anything.

I have adopted more than my share of special needs pets in my life, and most of the time it is because they need someone, and no one else will give them a chance. Every time I walk by a pet store, I think that there's no way I would get a pet there, just because those pets will find homes. I want to give a chance to others who might not otherwise find someone.

I adopted three legged Ellie several years ago, a hound mix who has no other problems other than she has only three legs! But it doesn't slow her down one bit! She can climb stairs, run and play even if she does look like she's galloping like a horse.

My beloved Thomas, a maine coon cat, died last March from complications of diabetes. I adopted him after he was turned over to the veterinary clinic I worked for because his owners couldn't "deal with" his diabetes. The vet could not pay to keep him up and gave him a week to find a home...or else. On his last day, I said I would take him home. I had had a diabetic cat before, so I knew what had to be done. Unline my other diabetic cat, though, Thomas' diabetes was severely tough to regulate, and he went through several bouts of ketoacidosis (a life threatening condition that can be a complication of high blood sugar) that we managed to bring him through. I was giving him two insulin injections a day, a bag of fluids daily, along with pulling blood from him to check his sugar daily. But we had good times, too, and he laid in my lap purring every day. He died after two years of having him, but he was such a joy that I would do it all over again, even knowing the ending. He was the sweetest, most loving cat on earth, and I truly believe that it was because he was grateful that I gave him two years he wouldn't have had.

Giving special needs pets a chance can not only change their lives, but yours, too.