Re-homing a Pet is a Difficult Task

Is Hilary Clinton Guilty of Dumping Socks? No. She did what any responsible pet owner should do when confronted with the necessity of finding a new home for a pet.

There are articles reappearing accusing Hilary Clinton of "dumping" Socks. One was written in October of 2007 and published at Times Online.The people writing these stories are obviously not animal people. They have no idea of the difficulty in re-homing a pet.

Socks was not only not dumped, his re-homing was an excellent example of how things should be handled when life changes mean someone cannot keep a beloved pet. Socks was place with Betty Currie, who has loved and cared for him since 2001. She and her husband, Bob, obviously did an excellent job of caring for Socks, since he is closer to twenty than fifteen years old.

Socks was Chelsea Clinton's pet, not her parents. She rescued him as a kitten back in Arkansas. During the time they left the White House Chelsea was beginning college and very few colleges allow students to have pets on campus. A fact I am well aware of because our own daughter was beginning college at the same time. Our daughter needs her pets for comfort and stability, but was not allowed anything except fish in her dorm. Fortunately she lived fairly close to home and could get her animal fix on weekends.

Re-homing a pet under the various life circumstances that cause such a need can be a difficult decision. If it has to be done then finding the right person to assume care of the pet is also quite difficult. What should never be done is dump the animal. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at www.ASPCA.org, the American Humane Society at www.americanhumane.org and Humane Society of the United States at www.HSHS.org are all sources for locating places to place animals that need to be re-homed.

Such an option was being considered when our daughter recently assumed care of a large Maine Coon Cat. His owner wouldn't turn him into the humane society because she was afraid they'd put him down. She thought turning him loose somewhere was a better idea. This was an incredibly cruel idea because he has no front claws and a double coat that requires daily grooming. He also has no fear of people or other animals. Most likely he would have died a horrible death suffering no telling what kind of torture before doing so. I believe that even had the humane society put him down it would have been less cruel that that.

The Clintons did well by Socks by finding someone willing to care for Socks and love him. This person demonstrated her fitness for the task by keeping Socks in sickness and health. This was a responsible pet owner making a good decision about a pet they no longer could keep. Chelsea was off to college, Hillary was assuming her seat in Congress and Bill was taking up residence with Buddy in New York City. None of these were good places for an amiable Tuxedo Cat.

With Betty Currie he has led the good life being helpful in raising awareness for animal shelters and giving comfort to stressed military families.

If it is necessary to re-home a pet and you don't want to take the chance on the animal being put down then get in contact with a no-kill shelter or a rescue organization for that particular type of animal. Whatever you do don't dump an animal.