Or
Next time you think I’m showing too much sunshiny faith in humanity, remind me of this so I’ll get real again.
You may recall that I handle email for a local animal-rescue group. Well, here’s the latest to cross our mailbox. Names changed to protect innocent and guilty alike:
Hi my name is [Moronia] and I adopted two kittens from you about two months ago their names were [Oliver Twist] n [Poor Pitiful Pearl]. I hate to have to ask if I can return them but seems like that is my last option. We started seeing signs of fleas a couple of weeks ago and have tried our best to treat the problem but with no success. I bath them every three days and have given them capstars* but this is only good for a couple of days. We are having a difficult time getting rid of them from our cats to our home, so I really hate to keep [Oliver] and [Pearl] in a home with fleas. I hope you guys will b able to rid them of their fleas. They are wonderful, very loving kittens that I hate to see leave but I know you guys can help them. Thank you and waiting for your response.
Oh yes! Her very, very, very last option. Because you know, calling a vet or even using a search engine to discover one of the dozens of easy, effective methods of flea control would be just too great a sacrifice.
Clearly, we’d be heartless villains to expect her to put herself through such an ordeal! No, no. Instead we must extend our loving hearts to this poor woman who has endured so much and struggled so valiantly. Yes, it’s now our duty to take back the formerly cute kitties who are now less-desirable — and somehow irreversibly flea-ridden — adolescents.**
And then — despite the fact that she has proven through arduous effort that Oliver and Pearl cannot be relieved of their fleas by any means known to humankind — she’s confident that we, being gods of the animal world, will simply use our supernatural powers to render them flealess.
And — as always in these cases — it’s for the good of the kittieeeeees.
—–
* Capstar kills adult fleas super-fast but does nothing to break the flea breeding cycle. It’s not designed to.
** Of course, the fact that they’re no longer uber-adorable baby kitties has nothing whatsoever to do with her sudden wish to be rid of them. Anyone who imagines such a thing must be a mean-spirited brute, not deserving of living in the same world with the tender-hearted Moronia.
People are freekin idiots….maybe the little guys better off not being there
I’ve heard many horrible stories of people who have no patience as soon as a pet becomes less than perfect in their eyes, and many stories of abuse and abandonment of perfectly good animals for no good reason. It’s almost unbearable at times when we hear these stories of how superficial, selfish, and cruel people can be toward pets.
Thank goodness for the angels who rescue and care for all the unwanted, unloved castoffs.
Oh yeah, working rescue has given me an even more jaundiced view of humans than I already had … I can’t work intake at all (and hear the sorry damn excuses of why the sorry damn humans are ‘surrendering’ their pet )… our main credo is ‘get the animal back, dont piss off the human or God knows what they might do to the animal’ … and the adopters who bring the animal back a week later (‘she chewed up the patio furniture’ (this about a beagle puppy left unattended for HOURS in the yard) , ‘he’s not housebroken’ (poor critter had ONE accident the second day in a new home) … and then the abused animals, shot, beaten, BURNED, drug behind a car, left out in 105 degrees with no shelter or water … it goes on and on and sometimes makes me so damn angry I could, well … /rant
I used to know a guy who would get a new pet (hamster, dog, rabbit, ferret…) and after a couple of weeks when the new wore off he was giving them away. When he rather suddenly got married I suspected he’d do the same with his wife and I was waiting to take her off his hands, but he waited too long. Dang.
I do believe it’s things like this that has caused my local humane society to charge surrender fees. Because, if you really want to get rid of the animal, then you’re gonna pay for it. As an offshoot though, the local no-kills, who don’t charge surrender fees, are swamped with animals, and there is a higher than average dumping of unwanted pets.
So, yeah, it hasn’t done any good, those surrender fees.
Humans just suck.
Fleas are not a cat problem, although a problem for cats. Fleas are also influenced by the surrounding environment. The need to look at cleaning their house and yard, maybe a good fumigation as well as preventive meds for the cats.
I’d go with the consensus though, the cats will be better off with humans that are smart enough to take care of them.
My last cat, Miss Callie Fae, was a no-longer-cute former kitten rescued from a garage by a woman I knew who worked nearby-the cat was wandering around in a parking garage-with a collar on-she called the number,and the woman who answered claimed “she let the cat go” because it was shredding things. Callie lived to be just short of 15 years old(she was about 7 months old when I got her-just past the cute stage). Don’t ever think a cat-or any other animal-can’t be grateful.
When I first moved into my house, one of the neighbors that backed up to my yard staked out a dog and forgot about it,apparently. I fed and watered the dog each day before and after work for a couple weeks,and finally called the law(I’ve only called the law twice in my life-once on a guy beating his wife and child,and the neglected dog). The owners were total dirtbags-the type that should never have so much as a goldfish-much less children. Fleas love carpet,and get on pets as a side issue. Some years ago, for one year, there was a flea invasion in the town I lived in. Total cost to get rid of them, from carpet and cat? About $14 dollars(1988-ish prices) and a couple hours’ time.
My kitty was a rescue. She too was just barely past the kitten stage, she still had her kitten fur, and somebody dumped her out in the woods near my grandfather’s farm. Her back claws got burned flat, so we think she tried to get food out of a burn barrel at some point. She saw me out deerhunting and went “PEOPLE!!!!! I’m SAVED!!!!!!!!” and ran up to me, yowling for me to wait up, and climbed in my coat. she reacted to things in such a way that it was clear she was an indoor cat, so I took her home thinking I could find a family to take her. A week later my older cat died. “Snuggles” has been with me ever since.
She paid me back in affection. When I was sick and couldn’t walk, she would spend whole days curled up on the couch with me, keeping my feet warm.
The casual cruelty of people never ceases to amaze me.
I also, have only called the law twice….once, was on a guy who was beating up his wife/girlfriend out on the front lawn of his house, which was right across the street from where I lived…..
And the other time was on a guy who lived in the apartment adjoining mine…we shared a very thin wall. And i could hear him beating his dog, a youngish puppy unmercifully every day. He would tie it up and leave it out….God what an ugly scene *that* was.
Fleas are not a horrible problem….sheesh…..My uncle had a terrible flea infestation…he had an old barn cat that he loved, and it had fleas which had set up camp in his carpet….so bad you could see them jumping around. He was partially blind, and oblivious to the situation. Frontline, and that stuff that makes the eggs sterile…cured it in less than two months…Total cost…about $50, and that was buying the stuff from a vet.
I suppose I shouldn’t be TOO surprised by Ms. Moronia (love the moniker) …look at what people do to other people….
It is the casual nature of it that is so distressing. ‘Here, let me throw these cats away because they don’t please me anymore’.
Next time, lady, buy a frikin’ lamp.
I agree Claire…hard to be sunshiny about the future when you read about this drek.
Once had a neighbor who neglected his animals so badly that a horse actually starved to death. They had a locked gate and I could find no way to go in and feed the creature when they were gone, and I wish with all my heart I had not waited so long to call the sheriff. I saw it go down and called, but it was too late. They did remove a pony and three dogs, all skin and bones. We moved shortly afterwards, only partly because of their threats against OUR animals.
But I do have to play devil’s advocate here somewhat.
In June I had to put down my 19 year old beagle/doxie mix. He was a dear companion and I miss him terribly. So far, I’ve not found another dog and some of the reasons seem really counterproductive to the “rescue” idea.
The local, privately owned shelter is small, and contracts for the county “animal control” for dogs only. What they do with anything else is a mystery to me. In any case, I went there first. Their policies guarantee that I won’t find a friend there, ever. Not only do they do the usual shots and neutering, but send the dogs to some sort of “socialization” training – presumably after one has agreed to take the animal. The bottom line is about $200. for each dog, or more if there are vet problems. The idea of having the person who takes the dog do any of this for themselves seems shocking to them. So no, I’m not about to pay $200. for someone else’s problems and have no input into the solutions.
The real clincher came, however, when the lady told me that they must come to “inspect” my home first, and I would have to sign an agreement to have someone come for unannounced “inspections” for up to a year afterwards.
I DON’T THINK SO!!!
What a shock that they can’t seem to find homes for any of the animals and have stopped taking any in. (face palm)
So, I went on line to look at rescue organizations. I’d really love to have a Welsh Corgi or mix, as I had many years ago. They are an ideal dog for an older person as they are quiet and don’t require daily ten mile hikes – though they don’t mind if you want to do that.
No luck at all. The costs are simply out of reach, even before shipping. I don’t know who “adopts” all these critters, but I won’t be one of them any time soon. And that’s really sad.
What ever happened to boxes of free puppies outside the grocery store each spring?
I’m sorry you lost your beloved dog, MamaLiberty. Even knowing he made it 19 years doesn’t make it any easier, I realize.
Interesting how many of us seem to have made animal abuse calls even though we’re generally averse to calling the police. (I’ve made three such in my life: two for dogs, one for horses. In one case, animal-control officials finally removed dogs from a home after getting multiple complaints. In the other cases they did nothing — which is why animal rescuers sometimes resort to stealing. Easier done with dogs than horses, though.)
I understand where you’re coming from on the costs and snoopy complications of animal adoptions. But believe it or not those high costs don’t even begin to cover the expenses involved, and the snoopery is unfortunately useful.
In cities, adoption fees of $300 or more are becoming common. Our group charges only $100 for dogs and $60 for cats — but when you consider that the fee covers spay/neuter, shots, often other medical care, worming, flea-treatment, food while the animal is in foster care, etc., it’s really a bargain.
Our group also rarely does home inspections. I tend to go by my gut when deciding whether potential adopters are telling the truth about their circumstances, but other rescuers I know have made long trips (often entire days) to check out homes for their “babies” — only to discover that “fenced” yards are unfenced, that other pets have died due to dangerous conditions that still exist, that small children are left unsupervised with animals — the list goes on. We do require people to agree to post-adoption inspections, but we’ve never done one.
I can understand your objections, though — especially to the inspections. I feel very much the same.
But as to the boxes of free puppies and kittens — I’m so glad we seldom see those any more! All those random litters were the product of careless breeding. And “free” just makes it so much easier for villains to throw their animals away or abuse them. (People who sell pets to medical research facilities love free puppies and kittens.)
There are so many sad stories, that it is so overwhelming.
The rescue I support tried 3X to get a dog out of a shelter that they COULDN’T FIND for a MONTH! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfIEahZsS3E&feature=player_embedded
Thank goodness for the rescue angels
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUTBj_E2NAc
OMG, Water Lily. That first link is unwatchable — and unthinkable. I can understand “public” shelters being overtaxed and understaffed. But something like that should never, ever happen. And to think that was done by the people charged with the poor dog’s safety!
How is Snuggles doing today?
The ‘intrusive’ home visits can be a pain for those who are privacy minded. There are still places who don’t do them, but it’s highly debated in the rescue community. Unfortunately, as stated above, people lie. And people also lie about getting things taken care of after the fact.
I’m on the Board of a rescue association for a type of purebreed cat, and we charge a pretty high amount. It doesn’t cover our costs overall. We’ve been involved in rescuing very sick animals which cost us 1000s to help. We don’t charge more for these cats.
I was involved with a rescue for miniature pinschers for awhile. Someone wanted to adopt one and I was sent on a home visit with the dog. It was an eye-opening experience for all of us!
They had no clue about the breed, and expected a docile, obedient dog. HAH! Min pins are tyrants (I call them pinheads) and very strong willed. all 10-15 pounds of them. They were stunned at how he acted. Now, this was a dog a bit on the wild side, but you see – we do this for the dog, not for the people. We want to minimize the possibility of the dog coming back into rescue.
One suggestion I have is to offer to foster for a rescue or shelter. Frequently, the checks are less stringent. And, then you can ‘try before you buy’. If you decide you love the animal, you can turn yourself in as a ‘foster failure’. Because “they” know you as a volunteer, the resulting adoption is less of a hassle.
I’ve adopted all the cats I’ve owned, and it’s my policy never to adopt a kitten. I figure older cats are less likely to get adopted, so I pick one of those.
I also have 2 min pins: my male, Thor, weighing in at 12 pounds, who thinks he’s 120, and my female, Penni. (Many people have a dog named Penni, but not everyone has a Penni Pinscher!)
JuliB — Good for you! And that’s a wonderfully instructive story about the people who were expecting a docile, obedient MinPin.
A docile, obedient MinPin. Hm. That’s sort of like an honest politician (with apologies to the MinPins!) I wonder how they ever got that idea.
And Penni Pinscher … groannnn!
Claire – What’s ‘worse’ is that these people had trained their cat to throw up in the tub if it had a hairball. That ain’t right….
Update on Snuggles: He is out of the hospital and is with his foster mom, who is a retired nurse. She’ll take care of him. We think he’s going to be okay. 😀 We raised a good bit of $$ for his vet bills, but you know how it is, it’s never enough.
The littlest of dogs often end up having a very hard time when surrendered or abandoned. At the (bad) shelters, they are frequently put in pens with bigger dogs, and they can’t fight for their food, so they are usually malnourished and sick when rescue picks them up. Too many horror stories out there, it’s overwhelming. But we can help some of them, one at a time.
Water Lily — Thanks for the update. It’s so good to hear that Snuggles made it to safety (just in time) and is getting real loving care.
I never thought about the problems of small dogs in shelters; the big shelters I’ve been in were usually careful to group dogs by size (and where possible, temperament). I know there are breeds that, for various reasons, simply don’t do well at all in shelters; they go nuts. Or withdraw. But I can imagine the fight for food and water in an overcrowded cage. OMG. I can’t get those images of Snuggles out of my mind. That shelter sounds horrifically mismanaged — or maybe just hopelessly understaffed. But I can’t think of any excuse for what happened to that poor dog.
JuliB … um, yes. Definitely not right. Did they train it to use the toilet, too?
With the economic mess, the abandonment and surrender of small breed dogs has increased dramatically, especially over the last two years. I’m not sure all shelters know how to handle them, unfortunately, and the rescues are overwhelmed.
“Snuggles” must be a popular name for pets! Here’s my Snuggles, helping me cut fabric for a sewing project: http://s405.photobucket.com/albums/pp135/Ellendra/?action=view¤t=braproject002.jpg
I had to name her Snuggles, because that’s what she does 😉
I do understand your concerns, all of you… but the shelters might not be quite so overwhelmed if they didn’t make it almost impossible for so many people to take one of these critters home. I’d think less than perfect would be better than none.
But in any case, I just don’t have that kind of money. So, unless I get lucky and find another one at my gate – as I did Rascal – I may not be getting another dog at all. That’s sad.
MamaLiberty — Here’s a thought (building on something mentioned earlier). Volunteer to foster a dog or dogs for a local rescue. If that turns out not to be the dog for you, you’ll have the satisfaction of helping it get to its forever home. If you and the dog fall in love with each other … well, most rescue groups will then give the animal to the foster family. Best of both worlds.
Oh, and believe it on not, shelters are actually less overcrowded and better managed these days, thanks to spay/neuter programs, rescue groups, and growing consciousness about how to treat animals.
True, some are woefully overcrowded. And the growing “no-kill” movement (which generally means trying not to kill any healthy, adoptable animal) has led to some abuses (e.g. caging animals for shockingly long periods in hopes of saving their lives, but doing it to the point where it becomes another form of abuse). But if you saw a shelter that was less crowded 10 or 20 years ago … it was almost certainly because that shelter was killing the animals starting as little as three days after they came in.
Really, I’m sorry you’re having difficulties. But trust me, in general, things are so much better for the animals than they were just a few years ago.
Oh. And that said — yes, it would be very nice if shelters and rescue groups offered discounts at times.
Ours actually does. We’ve been so overrun with cats and kittens this year and have so few foster families that in some cases we’ve let kittens go for as little as a $10 adoption fee.