It is. People buy puppies, and find "that it just doesn't work". Well maybe that's the case, but you should have everything set up to work before adopting a puppy, or any pet for that matter. I got my dog from a family who had him tied up outside every single day. Poor baby was obviously mistreated because of his fear for humans.
A friend of mine is a trainer and is working with a widower who was lonely and decided to get a large breed puppy. Unfortunately, his car is too small to accommodate the crate his dog will need as an adult, so he will either have to get another car or use a cab to take his dog to the veterinarian. His house apparently has wood floors that do not stand up well to dog claws, and his furniture is highly destructible. He works long hours, and his puppy is from a large, active breed that becomes upset when lonely.
She was originally hired to come in and help him since he had never had a dog before, and he thought a couple of visits would be sufficient. Instead, he wound up having her over everyday for at least a couple of weeks.
Over the years I've had a number of "friends" offer me their unwanted pets. A cuddly Staffordshire terrier who was adopted by someone who was afraid of him after she played tug of war with him and he growled (playing tug of war with bull and terrier breeds isn't a good idea); several spoiled equines, most of them Shetland ponies; vicious Chihuahuas; and one woman who wanted me to "adopt" both a wolf ***** and a fully grown caiman. I have always declined, since I am under the impression that if I wanted a mean, spooky, or dangerous animal I could probably find one without such generous offers - and I have never wished to have mean, spooky, or dangerous animals. I still wonder what possessed the woman who had the caiman and the wolf to get either one of them, let alone both of them. I gather the wolf was a cute cub and hadn't learned it was a wolf yet when she got it; unfortunately, it figured out it was a wolf and behaved like one. I can't even wrap my head around the idea of thinking a caiman would make a good pet. I don't know what kind of caiman it was, but it lived in the garage with an old clawfooted tub and a plastic wading pool, where it spent its day pretending it was a log and hoping someone would come within reach of those jaws.
I'm not perfect, I've messed up with animals and then worked overtime to make it right - but I've never understood anyone getting an animal without thinking it through. I once thoroughly terrified a sweet pony by trying to pull a coat off a pole it was hanging on and having the pole come right down on us - but I immediately tried doing the same thing again, but with the coat set so it couldn't drag the pole over with it until she could begin to trust me again.
