Why do people have pets if they can't take care of them!?

having spent a lot of time doing shelter volunteering I would have to say a lot of people get pets on impulse. I think that little consideration is given to the time needed to care for the pet as well as the expense. Behavior is always a big issue for surrender so clearly some don't give much thought to the time and patience it takes to socialize their pet. Vet care is one that takes many by surprise and yes good vet care is expensive. The one that makes me angry is the surrenders because the kids won't take care of the pet. There are parents out there that just don't get the concept that pets are an adult responsibility and trying to teach a child responsibility by getting a pet with the intention the child must care for it almost always backfires. There are those that just find themselves in situations they never expected such as loss of a home or eviction, illness or death of of the animal care taker, but this is not at all a large percentage.