Why do people abandon their old pets?

On Friday, Jan. 26, the Riverside Press-Enterprise’s website ran a story about a man who abandoned a dog in a Hemet Stater Bros. parking lot.
“It is somewhat strange that someone would abandon an older dog, after presumably caring for it for its life. Regardless, it is very sad and it’s also a crime,”  Animal Services Officer Kyle Stephens said in a statement released by Animal Services.
“Somewhat” may be the operative word here. Sadly, the lower-tha