Tales & Tails of New York

Animals suffer when parents "give" Junior a pet and expect that Junior will have an automatic sense of responsiblity.  If an animal is brought into the home for a child of any age - including teenagers, the parents are morally obligated to make sure the animal is cared for - whether it's a goldfish, cat, dog or shetland pony.  To give a child a pet and then walk away is dooming the pet to a miserable life. Of course some children are exceptions. However, most children, after falling in love with the cute kitten or puppy become bored with it. Changing a litter box is too icky. Grooming a dog is too hard. Training the new puppy is too tedious.
So,  many animals end up discarded - like old toys.  
Except animals are not toys. They are living beings.
If only the people who bring the Fluffies and Fido's into their home would teach their children and themselves that this is a 12 year or more committment, that animals, like children, require constant care - both emotional and physical.
However, somehow even parenting of children seems to have fallen by the wayside.  How can we expect current society to care for the animals, when it falls so short of caring for its children?

Every dog I've had since age 5 was a rescue, every one required spaying/neutering, and there was no excuse for it. My rules:
-- I don't take on what I can't afford - in time or money. When I've been "between dogs" and hard-up, couldn't afford dog care, or worked extremely long hours, I didn't have dogs; I volunteered with rescues instead.
-- When I _do_ have dogs: I usually have just one at a time -- because the dog inevitably is a special-needs dog and has been grossly neglected. I know upfront that I'll be paying for spay/neuter, dental care, extra vet and specialist visits, meds, grooming, and "props" to make life easier - in addition to normal costs.
I don't fling money to the winds, and have taken a Red Cross dog/cat first aid class to deal w/ emergencies. But I know when something is beyond me, and I will _not_ scrimp on a dog's basic care; I'll cut my personal extras instead.
-- It's a lifetime deal.
All of my dogs have been mid/late-life adoptees who lived almost forever. (Some of them came with legit, non-anecdotal documentation, so I know they lived to be 18+. And one thrown-away newborn puppy lived to age 21.)
If a landlord won't take dogs, I don't move there. If a dog can't travel, I "vacation" locally. Yet I'm a perfectly well-rounded, normal, active person: I don't hoard animals, or just huddle at home among bags of kibble, cursing the human race.
-- I _pay attention_ to the dogs, and try to make their lives interesting ... just as I would with people. Without that, deaf/blind and older dogs can resign themselves to becoming potted plants.
No one told me to do these things. My parents didn't give me Dog Lessons, and weren't even really "animal people." But they were consistently decent, and  extended their decent behavior/values to animals. We didn't cut corners, neglect or discard anyone due to "inconvenience" -- whether it was my grandmother or our old dog. _Everyone_ was part of the Family Deal.