Refusing to Return a Lost Dog Because Your Child Wants It Is Not Only Evil, It’s Bad Parenting

Most of us say we would do anything for our children, and that’s understandable. We want them to be happy! We want to give them ponies and hovercrafts and 400 American Girl dolls and ice cream fro breakfast and everything their little hearts desire. But we don’t do all those things, because our job as parents is to raise healthy, well-adjusted adult human beings, not just to make them happy in the moment. Spoiling them teaches kids terrible lessons, and feeding them only ice cream is terrible for their health. So we have to walk a tough line between giving our children what they want and doing what is best for them. Some parents who are utterly failing at that are some anonymous Long Beach parents who reportedly stole another family’s dog for the sake of their little girl. They say they are keeping the lost dog because their little girl is attached to him, but by doing so they are doing their daughter no favors at all, because all they are teaching her is that it is OK to be a monstrous asshole.

On Facebook, Sarah Lee posted that over Thanksgiving her family’s dog, Button, was staying a family friend. He escaped from their house and went missing, and the family went looking for him. Luckily someone found him … but they won’t give him back.

Seriously, the anonymous person sent Button’s distraught family a text saying that they had found the dog, but that their little girl liked him so much they told her she could keep him, even though they knew he was someone else’s dog and that Button had a name and a family that was looking for him.

(Photo via Imgur)

This is completely unconscionable, and the “new owners” even sent a picture of Button to prove that they had him and that he was safe.

Not only is this evil, it is very bad parenting as well. This is literally how Veruca Salt’s parents acted in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and they were supposed to be a cartoon of bad parents of a demanding, spoiled brat.

These people are teaching their daughter that if she wants something enough, it is OK to completely disregard other people, and that is not OK. A better parent would have dealt with the inevitable tears and explained to their daughter that Button already has a family who loves him very much. Then maybe adopt a different dog, which she will obviously come to love just as well.

(Photo via Facebook/SarahSinatra)

This is the photo that the alleged dog-nappers reportedly sent with the text message. Button is nine years old and his real family had him since he was a baby. Button’s real family says they do not know where the anonymous text came from, but they have not stopped looking for their dog and even started the #operationrescuebutton hashtag, which is getting a lot of outraged traction on Twitter. If you happen to live in the area, keep your eyes peeled for a very cute little dog who answers to the name “Button” despite being called something else entirely.