Rescue Journal

more on surrendering animals...lets be blunt (i was checking the answering machine)

Carol  ·  May 2, 2009

a few rules here before contacting me....IF your animal really needs to be here..i will try my best.

but please......

do not try to buy your pet's way in here. don't even try that offer of elusive "substantial" donation...firstly..i consider "substantial" to be in excess of $100,000.00...i can go and easily get $100 out of my chequing account if saints needs it that badly....and if you have $100,000.00 to toss out with your cat or dog, you sure as hell don't need me anyway.

plus..offering me money to help an animal is really quite insulting...i am not a rescue prostitute out to make a buck. i will take any animal for free...guess what?...we don't even have a surrender fee...blood or guilt or greed money has little interest for me.

and no your offer to pay monthly or cover all bills for the rest of their life ain't such a sweet deal either...it just means there are strings tied between you and me and the animal..and i have an aversion to strings....they usually hang me.

i am sorry you don't want to HAVE to put your pet down...but why tell me that is what you are going to do unless you are trying to make their pending death my responsibility?

leaving a message that says, i know you are full but do you know of someone who might give my problem dog a home?...well if i did, i would have one less problem dog here.

and if you luck out and i actually answer the phone..please don't make me listen for an hour to how much you love that animal and how you have done everything you possibly can (except take it to the vet to get it medical care...like antibiotics or pain meds....everything..except to find a decent trainer... not to fix the dog but to fix your mistakes, everything except, not give your notice at your current living place until you found a replacement pet friendly place to live.) your everything and my everything are not even close to the same.

if you really want me to take your pet...tell me the animal is sick and suffering and you are not doing anything about it. tell me you are ignoring the poor thing and leaving it out in the back yard in the snow and the rain. or you really don't like it very much and are not very nice to it anyway. tell me it is stupid, ugly, it smells bad. tell me it is afraid of you and i will take it the very same day.

tell me that animal has never been happy with you because you never cared enough to make it happy...then i will make room.

but please don't try to buy me with money.

Comments

Tracey

Great post Carol.

I HATE it when people try to buy an animal's way in to our shelter; especially when they waive a donation under your nose and expect you to jump... not going to happen.

We dont have a surrender fee either, but we do ask the owner's of animals being surrendered to have them SNAP tested before they arrive. If they cant or wont, it doesnt change anything. We commit to take the animal first and whatever happens after, happens.

There have been countless promises of covering monthly expenses... coming to help care for the animals... bringing in food /supplies etc... We just nod and smile as we know the promises (and the animal in most cases) will be forgotten before they have even left the driveway.

tracy coles

i was recently trying to find a home for my friends' 11 year cat, and all the things you mentioned went through my mind back then. thank you for setting me straight, honestly, i will always have the best intentions when any animal is involved. i myself have 2 rescue cats, both have been with me 16,17 years respectively. i did return one cat's sister to a.a.i.d. after 3 years, and to this day regret not being able to put up with poo on my bed and laundry piles. i still dream about her.. my point to all this is mainly to congratulate you for all your determination and hard work. i can't afford a mortgage yet but one day i'll have my rescue farm too