Like a lot of kids, there was a time where I wanted a pet when I was growing up. Although I would later find out that this had my parents wondering how it would fit in our apartment, they didn't say "no."
Instead, they made it clear exactly how much responsibility goes into having a pet and that if I wasn't prepared to give it the proper care it needs, I shouldn't have one.
Unfortunately, it seems that some folks either never got this talk or chose to ignore it. Otherwise, animals like one particular dog from California wouldn't end up in such unfortunate situations.