Although operating an animal shelter or sanctuary is serious, often heartbreaking, infuriating and incredibly satisfying I try to remember to address some particularly trying moments with humor- which ill get to - We here at Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary care for over 200 abandoned, abused, neglected exotic animals including 13 ferrets. Many of the animals are old, ill, disabled, and/or aggressive. Usually these conditions have occurred due to mistreatment, malnutrition, etc. They are not "pet quality' anymore but deserve a full healthy safe life. We get animals when they have been confiscated by animal control, dropped at area shelters that only do cats & dogs, and of course the ever popular owner surrender. This is where I try to keep the smile & think to myself what i'd like to say - it may be a bit harsh but really what kind of idiot human obtains a living creature taking full responsibility for its lifetime care and then decides they just dont want it anymore- good god alligators take better care of the little birdies that clean their teeth than a lot of humans do for their pets. Anyway - the usual excuses are - we dont spend time with it like we should (yeah we know its great we get to spend several hours every day with each of the 200 animals here- not!) , someone in the family has become allergic ( anyone heard of medication?), and the top reason - we are moving and cant take it with us- my response to it would be oh i am so sorry you are homeless - i hope someday you can live in an actual structure again instead of the cardboard box you must be going to since you cant take your animal - because of course if you were moving to a house or apartment you would only go to one that allowed your type of pet - just as you wouldnt move to a retirement community that didnt allow kids if you had kids - DUH! The other one is when they say they are moving and cant take their guinea pigs with for example, then of course i pause & wait & feeling they need to justify themselves they say something like well we are moving to west virginia, so then i'd like to say oh well i completely understand - you must never take guinea pigs to west virginia! heavens no bring em here now! of course we cant actually say these things or the people will freak & not bring the animal here & probably just let it go or dump it somewhere - so for the animals' sake we play it straight - but people have to realize a pet is not an object- it is not a toaster to throw out when you want a new model or it doesnt work quite right - it is a living creature with feelings and needs that depends on their human completely for its survival - every pet that is owned was bred by humans specifically for our enjoyment - therfore humans have an inherent responsibility to care for these animals for their entire lives - all humans- not just breeders, or rescues- all people who have ever owned a pet bear the burden of care for these unwanted animals - it is all i can stand to read about the extravagent amounts of money pet owners are lavishing on their pets all the while other animals in shelters and sanctuaries, and roaming feral across the country are dying, and facilities are closing due to lack of funds - people before you buy that 100$ vest for fido think about donating half of that to a rescue - still spoil the pooch- that part is super- but spread the $ - after all if there were no rescues there would be a huge feral population ( dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits- you name it) and then the govt would get involved & legislate pet ownership - some municipalities do that already because their local shelters cant keep up - so, if you enjoy having a pet- thank a shelter ( preferably one that saves the kind of pet you have) & send then $1, $5 or $10 believe me - itll make their day! beth www.crittercamp.biz [Posted in FML 5843]