A viewer writes: “My dog is 10 years old. I’m soon to be homeless and can’t take her with me. I’ve tried shelters who will take her temporarily, but she’s dog aggressive and can’t be taken in. If I take her to the pound, I have to pay $60 to surrender her and she will be put down due to her aggressiveness with other animals. No-kill shelters can’t take her either because she still needs to interact with other animals on the property and she can’t handle being with other animals. I can lie and say she bit someone and pay the vet to put her down, but that’s even more money. What does Creator think about this? He loves my dog as much as I do. What karma will I attract? Do I have a right to do this? I have no answers.” What can you say to her?

It is true you have a karmic obligation to loved ones and this includes your pet. In circumstances beyond one’s control, there is still an obligation. That is the harsh reality of existence. You do not get a pass simply because you are short of funds, although this is not your doing. This is a mitigating factor in what may happen as a consequence, but it will not help you in the current moment to ponder a distant karmic fate. That is always worth considering but the first consideration needs to be the comfort and security of your beloved pet. This is one of the toughest of choices one may have to make and this is not entirely your fault from your circumstances, but also the dog’s responsibility to fit into human society and be a good citizen. To the extent the dog cannot be relied on to be civil and a loving companion, it poses a liability and this, in effect, seals its fate as much as anything. Pets are commonly put up for adoption and there are many organizations around offering free help to do so for just these circumstances when a pet can no longer be cared for due to family circumstances. When a pet is incorrigible and will likely be unwanted, euthanasia is commonplace as the best solution. It is far better to euthanize a dog than keep it penned up on an indefinite basis, languishing unloved and unwanted in a hostile environment that is unnatural and devoid of any positive reinforcement or pleasures of existence other than the absolute minimum in receiving food and water. The decision as to what you must do must be yours. We cannot tell you. We have no magic answers because all of these conditions are human-caused and need human solutions. We can reassure you that it is better for the dog to depart than to continue in its current situation of uncertainty and a likely deterioration of environment. It is not a good answer to be homeless on the streets with a dog that cannot be trusted around others. This is a prescription for a worsening, if not a disaster happening, so the situation demands the dreaded decision of euthanasia as a way forward for both parties. You need to get on with your life as best you can under quite difficult circumstances and will need all of your resources, as well as flexibility of movement, and cannot be constrained by a troublesome pet that could cause harm and lead to a serious legal entanglement. It is most unfortunate things have developed in this way but this was not totally within your control in the direction things would take. But now that it has come about, the best course is to find a way to locate someone willing to adopt an animal that needs further work and training even at the risk it might end up being euthanized if such cannot be arranged in time. This does need to be some priority because it is falling to you as an obligation to see to.