>Let me say a few words to the poor, overworked, under-appreciated
>shelter owners before I go.
>
>And, in case I didn't make it clear, the above *was* sarcasm.
 
Until you walk in our shoes, you have NO CLUE.  We ARE overworked, if
you did what we do, you would know, so until you walk in our shoes, you
reallly need to open your mind and shut your mouth.  It's mouths like
yours that create the issues on the FML and cause hard feelings.
 
>There was an article recently in one of the local papers regarding the
>difficulty of adopting from shelters.  Pages and pages of forms to fill
>out, scads and scads of money, homechecks...
 
Did you ever stop to think that the reason that the shelters end up with
so many animals is because these animals are initially sold or given to
people that didnt fill out forms, get educated?  And scads and scads of
money?  How do you think these animals get their medical and daily needs
met?  We spend scads and scads of money.  So what, are we to give those
animals to wonderful people like you without screening and without
charging even though we put every cent we have into them?  Lets do you
a favor and screw ourselves financially right?  I think not.  If you are
a RESPONSIBLE pet owner and have NOTHING to hide then our proceedures
shouldn't be a problem.  I am sorry for your luck.  (in case I didn't
make myself clear, that WAS sarcasm)
 
>The idea behind shelters, I always thought, was to find loving homes for
>their pets.  Not to hoard them because no one is quite good enough.
 
Hoard them?  Honey, you have issues.  Read your own writing, LOVING
HOMES.  People that provide loving homes are people that have NO problem
with following proceedure.  How do we know whether or not it is a loving
home IF WE DONT SCREEN?????
 
>Let me tell you a few hard truths.  People's circumstances change.
>Often at the drop of a hat.  A job can be lost, ill-health can strike
>the human family, a relocation, a new baby, a natural disaster.
 
Let me tell YOU a few hard truths.  Yes, circumstances DO change, BUT, if
you KNOW that a baby is in your future and you CANT handle both pet and
baby, DONT GET THE PET!!  Relocation?????  Just because you are moving,
in MOST cases, it doesn't mean that you have to give up the animal.
What, it's too much to move with an animal so you give it up?  How
insane.  Have you ever tried to move with a kid??  Are you going to give
up your kids because it is too much of a hassle to take them?  Are you
going to give up your kid because you like the apartment that doesn't
allow them?  THINK, THINK, THINK!!!!!!  Pets are SUPPOSED to be family
members!!  You don't give up a family member because you lost a job,
you relocate or have a baby.  THINK!!!!!!!
 
>This does not make them evil, uncaring pet owners.  It makes them
>human.
 
It makes them selfish and contributors to our shelters!!
 
>You know what, people?  From the sound of it, she tried.  She seemed to
>have loved Phoebe and she seemed to have tried to keep up with the
>bills.  When she found she couldn't, do you know what this person did?
 
She tried?  What, you think it is easier for us to keep up with the
bills?  Especially with people like you who OBVIOUSLY dont support
shelters?  If her child had an ongoing illness, is she going to dump it
off on someone else because she can't keep up?  She CHOSE to take in
Phoebe.  She CHOSE to care for it, but wait, now that the ferret needed
extra care she dumped it off??  Gee, that sounds reasonable.
 
>Gave Phoebe back to the shelter.  She didn't let Phoebe die.  She didn't
>drop her off by the side of the road to fend for herself.
 
Oh, but NOW it is ok to send the animal to the "hoarders", Now that
there is more cost involved.  You really DONT get it do you?  From what
I gathered from your post, shelters are bad hoarders until you no longer
want to care for the animal or until it costs you more money.  It is
thinking like that which fills up our shelters and make us OVERWORKED!!
 
>She made what I assume was a heartrending decision to do what was best
>all around and gave Phoebe back.
>
>And now she wants another ferret.  She says her circumstances have
>changed.
>
>Good for her.  Give her one.  A healthier one.  Talk to her about what
>she can do.  Tell her you will be there for her if there is a problem.
 
Yea?  And what if her situation changes again?  And it will, life is all
about changes.  She wants another?  How fair do YOU think it is to uproot
an ill, old or even a healthy animal from it's home?  Volunteer at a
shelter and take a look at the ferrets that die from the stress, the
ferrets that stop eating because they are too depressed from losing their
"loving family".  That is if you can handle taking the time to do so.
And, eventually, the healthy ones become unhealthy also.  So what you are
saying is give her a healthy one so she can return IT when it becomes
unhealthy.  Sounds good to me (again, in case I didn't make myself clear,
more sarcasm)
 
>Don't punish her.  And don't punish those ferrets who you say need a
>good home.
 
Ok so make up your mind, do we NOT punish someone too irresponsible or
do we punish the ferret?  In cases like these, you can't have the best
of both worlds.
 
>(There is not a person out there who can absolutely guarantee that
>nothing in their lives will ever change.  That they might have to give
>up their pets sometime in the future.
 
Again, if you can't handle your life changing with a pet, DO NOT become
a pet owner.  You don't give up your family when your life changes.
 
>Shelters are not the best place for *any* pet to be.  I don't even
>support no-kill shelters because having a pet live out his life in a
>cage is a horrible thing to do to a pet (if the no-kill is letting them
>roam on spacious grounds or huge open rooms, that's another story).  Let
>people adopt.  Be there for them if there is a problem or circumstances
>change.  If someone wants to adopt, it's unlikely they are doing it
>because they are bad people.  Stop simply saying you wish you could find
>homes for your shelter ferrets and give them one.)
 
Shelters are not the best place, finally, something I can agree with.
HOWEVER, it is a better place than some of the places they came out of.
In MOST if not ALL ferret shelters, these kids become our family members
until we find them good, loving and FOREVER homes.  They are let out of
the cages DAILY to interact with us.  We do let people adopt as long as
they can PROVE to us that they are responsible and loving people.
 
Again, volunteer at a shelter, see what it is all about.  Take a long
hard look at the ferrets that came in because the people were not
screened from the pet stores.  Look at the sad eyes of the ill and
elderly after the family dumps them off on us because they just didn't
have time or didn't want to spend the money on care.  Look at the
haggared shelter moms and dads, look at how tired they are because they
took the time to care for those kids.  Look at the burned skin and fur
from the neglected ferret, look at the broken legs, the crippled feet
and the ferret with the broken spirit.  You will change your tune and
if you don't, then you have no business being a pet owner.  You really
should think before you post b.s. like this.
 
Lori
[Posted in FML issue 5219]