I don't want to specifically point out the person who recently sent me a mouse question, because I don't want anyone to be afraid to ask for my help with any animal situation, big or small. I'm upset about it, though. Not just it, of course, but it's one of the things getting under my skin tonight (it seems like everything I write about lately is dark - but it's a bad economy, and that means neglect and surrendering is at a huge high).
The person who wrote me told me she had one mouse returned to her after traveling with them, who began to show signs of extreme illness. She dropped weight drastically, hunched, and refused food and water. Eventually the questioner took her to the vet to be euthanized.
The questioner wrote that the mouse had Sendai virus, one of many things that can cause an upper respiratory tract infection (URI) in rodents. One of MANY, MANY THINGS. The Merck Vet Manual has this to say about Sendai:
"Sendai virus is an RNA paramyxovirus of the Parainfluenza family. It is highly contagious in mice and rats and causes an acute respiratory infection with no carrier state in immunocompetent animals. Sendai virus is transmitted by aerosols and direct contact with infected animals. Infection is usually subclinical, although sick animals may show signs of stunted growth and respiratory involvement with secondary bacterial pathogens. Gross lesions may include patchy lung consolidation and mild interstitial pneumonia. Perivascular lymphocytic cuffing is often observed on microscopic lung sections. Diagnosis is by ELISA, IFA, or PCR. Infection is generally self-limiting."
From that information, one might be more than a little curious how the questioner knew the exact cause of the URI. It came on quickly, and I don't believe they saw a vet before putting her down, so I'd be surprised if any of the diagnostic tests had been performed. If one were very, very curious what KIND of URI caused a mouse's decline in health, one could theoretically run a post-mortem histopathology, but I doubt she found a vet willing to do that and paid the upwards of $100 after euthanasia to discover which virus or bacteria made the mouse sick.
And on top of that - URIs are not that simple. There doesn't HAVE to be just one thing causing the symptoms. When an immune system is preoccupied, whether with traveling, stress, or a primary, subclinical infection, it's very easy to pick up a secondary infection that may or may not be the actual cause of the symptoms and damage.
There were other mice sharing the cage and travel with the mouse that got sick, so I strongly recommended treating the surviving mice with an antibiotic, just to be on the safe side. I then discovered that not only were they already showing symptoms of infection, but she had "already tried that" to no effect. Mmkay. First of all, there isn't just one antibiotic. There's one, MAYBE two you can get OTC, and then there are a few others to try via prescription pad. Second, what did she try? Did she try it for long enough, or did she cause resistance? How long have those symptoms have been showing if she's already given them meds AND given up on them? At this point, I'm getting more concerned.
The questioner has resigned to let the surviving mice "live out their lives" without more meds.
Look, that's not how it works in mice with URIs. They might fight it off, or they might die horribly and slowly. URIs can wipe out ENTIRE COLONIES. With a long incubation period in most of them, right on up to three weeks, you can cross contaminate once and lose every mouse in your home. That's why everyone pushes isolation so strongly - it's very serious. Why take a chance with a loved pet?
I want to tell the questioner they cannot possibly know which URI(s) could be affecting the remaining mice, but I don't want to offend her or imply she may have unnecessarily put down her pet. It's kind of delicate. But it pisses me off.
If you aren't going to listen to my advice, and you're going to tell me you already know what's wrong with them and what you will do...why did you come to me in the first place?
Then there's this. BEWARE - these photographs pull no punches. Her camera goes behind the scenes of animal overpopulation and overcrowded kill shelters. I love and hate these.
I was going to put up a pet of the day, but I'm so nauseated right now, so...horrified? Grateful? Miserable? That I just can't. I go to the Pawsitively page and all I see is album after album. There are so many pets emotionlessly posted as a last ditch effort at adoption. Instead of a photo and a story, now it's an album of 80 nameless dogs and cats with strict rules on tagging and pulling. Be prompt, or the animal is destroyed. I just....it's so sickening, I can't handle it right now. I go home and I see my fosters, my rescues, my babies, and I don't know why they got to be lucky. I don't know if they ARE lucky.
When the person who helped you rescue six tiny lives tells you if they have to go back to that drooling, miserable, horrible woman who would have let them die in her front yard and scooped them into a trash bag like dead leaves then "so be it"...you know shit is bad. You know it's the end of the rope. You know there is no more help left to offer, and you know you won't say no if asked.
I hope finding my soul was worth it to them, their people, and the ones I can't save.
-Mouse
Showing posts with label Grumpy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grumpy. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
More Sadness, but There Are Kittens.
The six kittens we took from the home with the cats we were fixing for free came home with us, and that very day, were on the verge of death. All of them had faces sealed shut with eye goo. I made an appointment, and in the three hours it took to get them there, they had developed fevers and were extremely lethargic. I honestly thought they were all going to die, and so did the vet.
He gave them SQ fluids, which they HATED, and clavamox. He says he's thinking an immune deficiency disease, like feleuk, but I've seen this plenty before and I can bet you $100 it's rhino or calici. My own cat had rhino when she was a kitten, and it took us a year before we figured out why she had developed such horrible fevers as a kitten (so bad she couldn't walk without being in pain), and since she grew up she would periodically get majorly snotty. I wanna say the kittens have rhino, but they are in such strong quarantine (exit only by window, change clothes on entering, separate air system, betadine scrubs before going in or out, and about five showers a day, easy) and it developed so very quickly (plus all of their siblings out of three huge litters had already died), it could very well be something else. Still thinking rhino or calici. At least I know I didn't expose them to it, as was my initial terror.
I've gotten pretty good at quarantine, though. Since their vet visit the babies have really perked up. I learned a new trick, too - if you can't get stubborn, solidified, serious eye bogies out, try rubbing neosporin or other oil-based antibiotic ointment into them. It dissolves right out and they clean it away. I think we managed to avoid tear duct damage in all six!
They have names now, too. Freddy is the biggest and definitely a boy. He was originally named Fraidy because he was practically feral, but he adjusted quickly and now ALL he wants to do is snuggle, cuddle, and purr. He's from a separate litter from everyone else, and at least 2 weeks older, despite what coked-out-bitch insisted. The Kitty System is a seal point siamese, the next biggest, and also from a separate litter. He is the trouble-maker! If there's a wrestling match, you can bet KS was involved and probably started it! Pickles is the next biggest trouble-maker, getting into pickles every play time. He's grey and white spotted. Traveller is a grey, white-socked well...traveller! He goes where no kitten has gone before, and exploring is his thing (and so is talking, oh my goodness). Dove looks just like Traveller but runted. Dove is the only one I'm still a little worried about, but she's doin' her darndest to keep up with the big kids. :) Last is Cowbell. Cowbell is sweet enough to easily medicate, love on, snuggle with, and catch, but balances his people skills perfectly with that classic kitten playfulness.
I'll post photos as they grow up - right now it's still all very hush-hush.
Meanwhile, down the street from me, I finally managed to get some photos of a trio of horses I've been concerned about. There's not enough info right now, and they aren't on death's doorstep, so no one will do anything about it. Yet. Photos are the first step, though. Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.
And right across the street from them is this poor little guy and his loose-running yippy chihuahua:
He stays chained like that all day every day, and crawls under the tractor when the weather is harsh. That would be extremely illegal. But, you have to go about these things carefully, or the animal winds up dead, "lost," or tossed in the high-kill shelter to be killed anyways.
NEVER. CHAIN. YOUR DOG. TO A FUCKING TREE.
-Mouse
He gave them SQ fluids, which they HATED, and clavamox. He says he's thinking an immune deficiency disease, like feleuk, but I've seen this plenty before and I can bet you $100 it's rhino or calici. My own cat had rhino when she was a kitten, and it took us a year before we figured out why she had developed such horrible fevers as a kitten (so bad she couldn't walk without being in pain), and since she grew up she would periodically get majorly snotty. I wanna say the kittens have rhino, but they are in such strong quarantine (exit only by window, change clothes on entering, separate air system, betadine scrubs before going in or out, and about five showers a day, easy) and it developed so very quickly (plus all of their siblings out of three huge litters had already died), it could very well be something else. Still thinking rhino or calici. At least I know I didn't expose them to it, as was my initial terror.
I've gotten pretty good at quarantine, though. Since their vet visit the babies have really perked up. I learned a new trick, too - if you can't get stubborn, solidified, serious eye bogies out, try rubbing neosporin or other oil-based antibiotic ointment into them. It dissolves right out and they clean it away. I think we managed to avoid tear duct damage in all six!
They have names now, too. Freddy is the biggest and definitely a boy. He was originally named Fraidy because he was practically feral, but he adjusted quickly and now ALL he wants to do is snuggle, cuddle, and purr. He's from a separate litter from everyone else, and at least 2 weeks older, despite what coked-out-bitch insisted. The Kitty System is a seal point siamese, the next biggest, and also from a separate litter. He is the trouble-maker! If there's a wrestling match, you can bet KS was involved and probably started it! Pickles is the next biggest trouble-maker, getting into pickles every play time. He's grey and white spotted. Traveller is a grey, white-socked well...traveller! He goes where no kitten has gone before, and exploring is his thing (and so is talking, oh my goodness). Dove looks just like Traveller but runted. Dove is the only one I'm still a little worried about, but she's doin' her darndest to keep up with the big kids. :) Last is Cowbell. Cowbell is sweet enough to easily medicate, love on, snuggle with, and catch, but balances his people skills perfectly with that classic kitten playfulness.
I'll post photos as they grow up - right now it's still all very hush-hush.
Meanwhile, down the street from me, I finally managed to get some photos of a trio of horses I've been concerned about. There's not enough info right now, and they aren't on death's doorstep, so no one will do anything about it. Yet. Photos are the first step, though. Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.
 |
| Yeah...that's totally a ball of wire and debris fucking everywhere. |
And right across the street from them is this poor little guy and his loose-running yippy chihuahua:
He stays chained like that all day every day, and crawls under the tractor when the weather is harsh. That would be extremely illegal. But, you have to go about these things carefully, or the animal winds up dead, "lost," or tossed in the high-kill shelter to be killed anyways.
NEVER. CHAIN. YOUR DOG. TO A FUCKING TREE.
-Mouse
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Adopting Because It's Sad.
Don’t fucking do it.
52 horses need saved! They’re going to slaughter! Oh NOOOO! They’re free, get them out now! MOST of them are gelded. MOST of them are broken. Some of them are with foal.
Yeah, it’s fucking tragic, but you know what this tells me? It tells me they were neglected before their previous owner passed away. It tells me each horse is going to need extensive veterinary care and rehabilitation. It tells me the previous owner wasn’t gelding them, wasn’t getting 52 horses fed and trimmed. It tells me they’re basically a feral herd.
But what it tells YOU is that YOU have to swoop in and stop this tragedy of killing them now now now now now, even if you don’t have the money to get your fucking dogs rabies vaccinations.
And what it tells YOU is that even though you have two kids to feed and a dog with zero vet visits, and no money to come to my damned wedding, that this sad, sad story with its zero details or history or vet papers tugs on your heartstrings enough to jump into something that will cost thousands of dollars and months of hard work. You CAN’T. It will suffer more.
And what it tells YOU is that “horse slaughter bad, mmkay,” so no horses can die, ever, even though there are NO SLAUGHTER HOUSES HERE. Trigger word, and you’re preaching about morals.
What every fucking one of you is forgetting is that you don’t have the whole fucking story. You don’t know where they came from, why they’re in this condition, WHAT condition they are in, who needs massive amounts of vet care and rehabilitation. Shit, you don’t even know if this is a legal issue that should be prosecuted. YOU DON’T KNOW. You just see a sad story and want to make it better. BUT YOU CAN’T.
You can not save them all. If you want to, GO VISIT THEM. Take a tally of the horses and their conditions. Bring a vet. Talk to the survivor who wants to slaughter them and the “friend” who wants to adopt them out for free. Find out who is with foal, who needs gelded, look at the hooves, the teeth, the ribs. Go do the goddamned work and participate. Make profiles on the 52 horses with photographs, and look for real adopters. Adopters who have the money for vet care and the facilities already set up. Adopters who know what they are doing, who aren’t going to turn around and sell them for profit on fucking Craigslist. Adopters who aren’t going to realize they can’t afford to feed it and either let it die, “set it free,” or sell it to auction. Adopters who actually give a fuck and aren’t acting on just emotion.
THEN. Coordinate with state-wide rescues, organizations, and fosters who can give them longer to bounce back and be better for adopting.
You mean well. But you’re thinking with your heart, and not about the animals.
-Mouse
52 horses need saved! They’re going to slaughter! Oh NOOOO! They’re free, get them out now! MOST of them are gelded. MOST of them are broken. Some of them are with foal.
Yeah, it’s fucking tragic, but you know what this tells me? It tells me they were neglected before their previous owner passed away. It tells me each horse is going to need extensive veterinary care and rehabilitation. It tells me the previous owner wasn’t gelding them, wasn’t getting 52 horses fed and trimmed. It tells me they’re basically a feral herd.
But what it tells YOU is that YOU have to swoop in and stop this tragedy of killing them now now now now now, even if you don’t have the money to get your fucking dogs rabies vaccinations.
And what it tells YOU is that even though you have two kids to feed and a dog with zero vet visits, and no money to come to my damned wedding, that this sad, sad story with its zero details or history or vet papers tugs on your heartstrings enough to jump into something that will cost thousands of dollars and months of hard work. You CAN’T. It will suffer more.
And what it tells YOU is that “horse slaughter bad, mmkay,” so no horses can die, ever, even though there are NO SLAUGHTER HOUSES HERE. Trigger word, and you’re preaching about morals.
What every fucking one of you is forgetting is that you don’t have the whole fucking story. You don’t know where they came from, why they’re in this condition, WHAT condition they are in, who needs massive amounts of vet care and rehabilitation. Shit, you don’t even know if this is a legal issue that should be prosecuted. YOU DON’T KNOW. You just see a sad story and want to make it better. BUT YOU CAN’T.
You can not save them all. If you want to, GO VISIT THEM. Take a tally of the horses and their conditions. Bring a vet. Talk to the survivor who wants to slaughter them and the “friend” who wants to adopt them out for free. Find out who is with foal, who needs gelded, look at the hooves, the teeth, the ribs. Go do the goddamned work and participate. Make profiles on the 52 horses with photographs, and look for real adopters. Adopters who have the money for vet care and the facilities already set up. Adopters who know what they are doing, who aren’t going to turn around and sell them for profit on fucking Craigslist. Adopters who aren’t going to realize they can’t afford to feed it and either let it die, “set it free,” or sell it to auction. Adopters who actually give a fuck and aren’t acting on just emotion.
THEN. Coordinate with state-wide rescues, organizations, and fosters who can give them longer to bounce back and be better for adopting.
You mean well. But you’re thinking with your heart, and not about the animals.
-Mouse
Saturday, March 12, 2011
I Fed the Troll
Normally I'm smarter than that, but tonight, I guess I just felt like feeding a troll.
It all started with Facebook (doesn't it always?). My profile is private to everyone except friends, but I do have one photo album open to the public full of animals. Some are mine, but most are ones I've fostered or am looking for a home for. It's public so anyone can view them and spread their stories around, so we can move animals as efficiently as possible.
See, I am a member (or follower? fan? friend?) of Pawsitively TX, both the site and facebook page, whose friends regularly post urgent dogs, cats, and shelters on the wall for networking. It's easier to find a home for a dog if you have hundreds of caring people helping spread the word in the same area, than if you tried to do it all by yourself.
So what actually happened? Well, a friend of mine who I met when I bred mice put up on her status that she was outraged at how little time pets got in shelters before being euthanized. Specifically, she compared it with how much time prisoners on death row get, saying it was unfair.
The immediate consensus was that people must not think animals are as important as people. Then a church jumped in on the conversation. Then a religious chick who hated animals got in on it. Several comments later I found the conversation and wrote that I felt it was a result of insufficient resources, and that we could fix it by spaying/neutering and contributing to the local animal community. I never really understood people who can't empathize with animals, who consider them objects or slaves, so I just sidestepped the whole "animals/people are better" argument and left my comment at that.
Then religious chick "liked" my comment.
After all she said (and I'll include the comments at the end of this, if you would like to read the whole talk - very informative if you would like to know how both sides of the public view the issue), I wasn't really thrilled that she agreed with me and I pointed out that I was in no way backing her up, just answering the OP.
I fed. The troll.
Then the troll proceeded to verbally chew me out, THEN went to my profile, stalked it, and sent me TWO crazy messages in a row picking on stuff at random.
I responded politely and sarcastically. I did not resort to "nuh UHHHH"s or "well you suck too!"s or "your momma"s or anything that would be equally unwise. I did, however, use the full power of snark.
Because that's a little unreasonable, and however polite and un-sticky I was trying to be by commenting, I DO feel very strongly about the issues at hand. I'm sorry. I hope you don't think less of me. In any case, to keep a bad situation brief, I blocked and reported her for harassment. That's what that is - checking out a person's profile and sending them messages insulting them?
In any case, I'm adding all correspondence to the END of this post. Feel totally 100% free to skip over it - it's pretty infuriating and the spelling is horrible. Besides, most of it is religious rambling and not animal-related.
And you know what? I just have to share it with someone.
-Mouse
Me (the "liked" status):
Me (I couldn't leave it alone, I just couldn't):
And because if you've read this far you probably want to know my responses:
Me (to the first message):
It all started with Facebook (doesn't it always?). My profile is private to everyone except friends, but I do have one photo album open to the public full of animals. Some are mine, but most are ones I've fostered or am looking for a home for. It's public so anyone can view them and spread their stories around, so we can move animals as efficiently as possible.
See, I am a member (or follower? fan? friend?) of Pawsitively TX, both the site and facebook page, whose friends regularly post urgent dogs, cats, and shelters on the wall for networking. It's easier to find a home for a dog if you have hundreds of caring people helping spread the word in the same area, than if you tried to do it all by yourself.
So what actually happened? Well, a friend of mine who I met when I bred mice put up on her status that she was outraged at how little time pets got in shelters before being euthanized. Specifically, she compared it with how much time prisoners on death row get, saying it was unfair.
The immediate consensus was that people must not think animals are as important as people. Then a church jumped in on the conversation. Then a religious chick who hated animals got in on it. Several comments later I found the conversation and wrote that I felt it was a result of insufficient resources, and that we could fix it by spaying/neutering and contributing to the local animal community. I never really understood people who can't empathize with animals, who consider them objects or slaves, so I just sidestepped the whole "animals/people are better" argument and left my comment at that.
Then religious chick "liked" my comment.
After all she said (and I'll include the comments at the end of this, if you would like to read the whole talk - very informative if you would like to know how both sides of the public view the issue), I wasn't really thrilled that she agreed with me and I pointed out that I was in no way backing her up, just answering the OP.
I fed. The troll.
Then the troll proceeded to verbally chew me out, THEN went to my profile, stalked it, and sent me TWO crazy messages in a row picking on stuff at random.
I responded politely and sarcastically. I did not resort to "nuh UHHHH"s or "well you suck too!"s or "your momma"s or anything that would be equally unwise. I did, however, use the full power of snark.
Because that's a little unreasonable, and however polite and un-sticky I was trying to be by commenting, I DO feel very strongly about the issues at hand. I'm sorry. I hope you don't think less of me. In any case, to keep a bad situation brief, I blocked and reported her for harassment. That's what that is - checking out a person's profile and sending them messages insulting them?
In any case, I'm adding all correspondence to the END of this post. Feel totally 100% free to skip over it - it's pretty infuriating and the spelling is horrible. Besides, most of it is religious rambling and not animal-related.
And you know what? I just have to share it with someone.
-Mouse
The Most Amazing Discussion
(with commentary)
OP:
Why do guilty prisoners get to spend years on death row and innocent animals in shelters only have 3-5 days to find a new home before they are killed?Chick #1:
Apparently a human life, even that of a guilty prisoner, is worth more than a poor, defenceless animal that wants a loving home. :(
Chick #2:
Because sadly most people don't feel that an animal is = to us. They seem to forget that humans are animals too.
Church:
Humans are not animals...we are created in the image of God...animals are not...owever it is sad so many animals are put to death. I cringe every time I hjear of someone paying BIG $ for a dog/cat when so many very loving animals are available forthe asking.
(Humans...aren't animals? We talking biologically here?)
Chick #1:
God supposedly made ALL that is on this earth. Animals and humans alike. As far as i'm concerned animals and humans are equal.
Church:
Its just not what the Bible says....
(A brilliant and well-explained argument)
OP:
What does the Bible say about animals?
Troll:
Animals are NOT equal to humans!! God gave men dominion over animals. Animals were not created in his image. Read the first 3 chapters of Genesis.
(And having dominion over something entails no responsibility whatsoever, of course)
Church:
God created animals and said they were good after He created them. So God loves and cares about animals. And it the OT He mandates punishments for anyone who abuses a work animal like a donkey or an ox.
(Despite making a little fun of them, I actually really like this response and applaud them for keeping their cool)
Chick #1:
God should have nothing to do with how animals are or are not treated in this day and age. The Old Testament is long gone... and well out dated. I don't want to enter an arguement about how much more important humans are than animals... because quite frankly that's dumb. I just think that animals should have a lot more chance to find a home than is allowed... and people should be PUNISHED for treating them cruel and breeding them carelessly.
Troll:
Whatever...
(ZING!)
OP:
I beleive that animals are equal to us and should be treated better then what they are. I am a huge animal lover
Chick #1:
If God told you to jump off a bridge and kill yourself because the world is a bad place... would you do it? Not likely... so why would you believe what God says about animals not being equal to us... especially if you love them?
(Probably not the best argument to make)
Troll:
I do care about animals, but there are starving people in the world. starving children; and bottam line people are more important to me. and honestly, I really cant stand it when people treat there dogs and cats like they are their kids. I think its kinda rediculous. And I do believe what God says, so if he told me to jump off a bridge, Id do it. You should be willing to do anything he asks yoo to do. God told Abraham to kill his son Issac to test his faith, and he was going to do it, as would I. @(Chick #1), you got life messed up!
(It's kinda rediculous)
Troll:
Animals were made to survive on their own. They can care for themselves. Just sayin...
(In many cases of pets and domesticated animals, fundamentally untrue)
OP:
I would rather help an animal then a person. Yes I know that sounds mean, but all well. People can help themselves, animals cant. My pets are are equal to people to me.
God doesnt want people to use drugs, etc and people do. Very FEW people... actually fully follow Gods word
God doesnt want people to use drugs, etc and people do. Very FEW people... actually fully follow Gods word
OP:
Animals cant protect them selves from people and when they do, they get labeled at bad,etc
Troll:
Well it is kinda terrible when u see on the news that certain breeds of dogs maul their owners. Or them killing innocent little children. And unless you guys are vegetarians, you eat animals everyday to survive. What makes a dog, cat, or a bird ,etc better than a cow, pig, or chicken, etc??
(Pit bulls and meat-eating have everything to do with euthanizing shelter pets)
Chick #1:
@ (Troll). I beg to differ. People cause the worlds problems. Animals don't.
OP:
Most of the time they dogs arent even the breed(s) they say they are. And yes it sad when animals attack, but its rarely without a reason. All animals are equal, a cat isnt more importent then a pig, etc. I have 3 pet hens that I treat as good as my dogs & cat.
(I love this lady)
Chick #1:
People cause animal problems. Not the other way round.
OP:
Im still not really sure what God has to do with the way we treat aniimals though... People choose to abuse animals, not God
Troll:
As far as people doing drugs... addiction is a disease, and God doesnt want us to do alot of things that we all do anyway. If you are refering to me, and I believe you are, when are you people going to find something else to throw in my fac...e?? Everyone has their own sin and struggles in their life. At least I will admit to mine. I beg to differ with you (Chick #1), I dont even know you and based on the way you speak, Im glad I dont. You dont sound very intelligent to me. (OP), you know I love you and Im not trying to start anything between us, I just stongly disagree with you on this one. It sickens me when animals are treated like people. Chris and I used to have to argue everyday over his damn dog and Brice. If your house was on fire and you only had time to get either Kate out or the Dog, who would you get? Kate!! Exactly, enough said, she is far more important!! And so is any human life!!!
(Who here sounds intelligent?)
Troll:
I believe I just won my case!! : ) So how you like me now (Chick #1)??
OP:
No, I wasnt referring to you, I was just saying in general. Everyone has issues & problems, but drug use is always the first thing that pops into my mind.
We both agree to disagree then. I'll admit some people do go too far on the way they... treat animals, but not everyone is like that.
Of course I would get kate out first, she is my flesh & blood, but if I could, I would go back in for my pets, even if it ment risking myself. But if it was a stranger of my pets, I would get my pets, which yes I know, most people would view as wrong, but oh well.
We both agree to disagree then. I'll admit some people do go too far on the way they... treat animals, but not everyone is like that.
Of course I would get kate out first, she is my flesh & blood, but if I could, I would go back in for my pets, even if it ment risking myself. But if it was a stranger of my pets, I would get my pets, which yes I know, most people would view as wrong, but oh well.
Troll:
Thats exactly why we are more important to God though too. Bc we are his children, created in his image!! : ) But yeah, we will just agree to disagree on this one. :~)
OP:
:)
Chick #1:
It depends entirely on circumstances whether the animal is worth more than a human. Obviously you're going to pull out your child before your animal in a fire... unless you're seriously messed up. Blindly following faith and believing EVERYTHING God says is messed up as well. That's how terrorists are made. They believe in the stupid extremes of their religion. Not saying religion is bad.... just the extremes. To tell me, an agnostic athiest, that my opinions are messed up... is ridiculous and childish.
Troll:
Youre sadly mistaken! And Im done arguing with you!!
(Wait for it...)
Chick #1:
If you say so... but fair enough.
Troll:
thank you... but Id like to say one more thing, please... u said u are an atheist, correct?? Just wanted to let u know that I feel so sorry for. That really makes me sad. And also scared for you and I dont even know u. I wouldnt wanna be you when Jesus comes back!! Ill pray for you. : )
(Ooh, she couldn't really let it go!)
Chick #1:
Well, seeing as I don't believe in God/Jesus... it doesn't bother me. I'm not afraid of death. I know i'm just going 6ft under. Well... actually i'm hopefully going to be cremated... but thanks :)
Troll:
And I am neither rediculous nor childish... Id like to consider myself to be outspoken and smart, and people like u obviously dont like that.
(Why do I hear arguments like that so often?)
Troll:
Wow... you are serious? Can I ask you why you dont believe in God? Thats just insane to me. Not being mean, and trying not to be judgemental, but I just dont get that. Where do u think all of his creations came from?
(She's so intelligent, she IMMEDIATELY picks up on the concept that there are other explanations people use for the presence of life.)Chick #1:
Nah. I think we just have different opinions. I choose not to believe in something I cannot see, nor feel. I choose not to make things like that a part of my life... and I choose not to allow something I cannot see/feel to make my decisions... for me. I have a mind of my own, and i'm not going to use God/Jesus as an excuse to get out of something. I think that's just a cop out. Just like the people who go into prison and suddenly become believers in God. They use God as a fad to get out of prison quicker. Not saying religion is a fad. I know it's not. Just saying that some people take it more serious than others.
Chick #1:
I said earlier that i'm agnostic athiest. I can neither confirm, nor deny that God did, does or does not exist. I simply do not know. I just choose, more than anything not to believe in God at all. I don't believe in God... and i'm doing fi...ne. I do not believe in the theory that God created the earth and everything on it. Dinosaurs alone have been proven to have existed over 65 million years ago. Christ has only existed 2000 years. So I mean... right there, that's one thing blown right out the window. I do however believe in Evolution. I believe that the animals and the plants and everything on it have evolved all by themselves.
(this reasoning gets completely dodged)
Chick #1:
Everything on earth has evolved by themselves* I mean.
Chick #1:
Actually, for the record. I believe God, Jesus and Mary 'n all them did exist at one stage. I do not however believe they were superhuman... and I do not believe that they single handedly populated the earth.
(...What?)
Troll:
I certainly have alot of sin and struggles in my life, trust me! I am greatful to God... and I feel so blessed for the price he paid for me, and for you too. Im glad to know that I dont have to die for be a sinner. I mean, sure, my body wil...l die, but bc of Jesus, my soul will live forever. And I want to soend eternity in heaven with my God, my savior. The wages of sin is death... in hell. Are you terrified to go there? Id rather believe and fund out I was wrong, then not to believe, then find out when its too late. I know I still have many adjustments to make in my life, however, i have faith that I will get it right someday. The Lord has kept me alive... Ive wanted to give up on life so many times. What are you going to teach your children? You dont believe that she/he (them), were a gift from God? I thought I had it bad...whew... I really feel sorry for you. And i hope you change ur mind.
Troll:
*dont have to die bc I am a sinner* I said that wrong, sorry. I hate when I misspell things, or when i use improper grammar. lol... Im kind of anal. Oh and I hate that word by the way, but I cant think of the other word to use in this instance. (OP), Please tell me that you are a believer!!
(She hates anal.)
Me (the "liked" status):
imho, it's because of resources. Not enough people spay/neuter, and not enough contribute to their local animal communities. Most shelters do their best, but only have so much $. It's better to help fewer animals adequately than to help all of them poorly (letting them get sick, crowded, underfed, etc.). It's not ideal, but it takes EVERYONE to fix it.
(Shoulda kept my mouth shut)
Me (feeding the troll):
Not exactly flattered at that "like." I'm not backing you up, hon. Just answering the original status.
(And...BAM!)
Troll:
I dont care that u arent backing me up. I liked what u had to say about it; thats why i clicked I like it....It was a good answer to the original question. I dont need anyone to back me up, thanks anyway... (smh)
(It starts out reasonable)
Troll:
and Im not trying to flatter u or anyone else for that matter. I really dont know why u said that. It was ignorant and stupid. And Dont call me hon either. Im not ur hon. I cant stand rude ass people like you. would u like me to unlike it? damn...
(And then it goes downhill)
Me (I couldn't leave it alone, I just couldn't):
Woah! Kitty's got claws! Okay non-hon, I'm out. Chill pill.
(It took so much effort to not argue back. Or mess with her.)
Chick #1:
(Troll). I'm glad you've got your love and faith in God. For you, it's not a bad thing. For my Nana it wasn't either. Infact, it made her mentally stronger when she was facing her own death last year (she knew she was dying). I don't persona...lly believe in God, and I personally don't think that I need to have God in my life to be strong. I think it's more of a personality trait than anything else. I'm not terrified of dying, nor am I terrified that i'll go to hell. I don't believe in God. Therefore I don't believe in heaven or hell. I know that I will just rot in a grave... and that's the end of it. I do not believe I have a soul that lives on long after I die. I believe that death is THE END.
Troll didn't respond to that, because she immediately started stalking my page. She saw my basic info, and the open animals photo album, and wrote me two back-to-back messages:
Troll:
oh and by the way.... ur dog is NOT cute!! I cant stand pitbulls. they are just down right gross and ugly to me. and they turn on there owners. and hurt innocent children, etc. also, i was wondering where my cousin (OP) found friends like u, and I see that u are from texas, which im sure that means she dont really know u. figures. u just must be an aminal freak too. frickin weirdos if u ask me
(The dog she's referring to is my Facebook avatar - a shot of my rescued APBT smiling and blinking up at the camera)
Troll:
of corse, all pics of animals. i guess ur pets r ur children huh? pathetic. oh yeah, i tend to be rude to people who i find were rude to for no reason, in ur case, for sayin i liked whay u had to say. smh....
(Like I said - for networking, but why explain that to her?)And because if you've read this far you probably want to know my responses:
Me (to the first message):
Good thing I didn't adopt her for you, or we might actually have a problem! She was found wandering around with a broken leg. I fixed it. Not really sure how that has any bearing on you, but to each their own!
Good thing I didn't become friends with Marybeth for you, either, or we might have TWO problems! If you felt like asking her, you'd find out we met through mice.
Facebook lets you block people who are harassing you, right? I'm gonna go check that out now.
Feel free to keep quiet if anything else about me bugs you! Have a great day! :)
Good thing I didn't become friends with Marybeth for you, either, or we might have TWO problems! If you felt like asking her, you'd find out we met through mice.
Facebook lets you block people who are harassing you, right? I'm gonna go check that out now.
Feel free to keep quiet if anything else about me bugs you! Have a great day! :)
Me (to the second message):
What an assumption! I find you to be terribly brilliant, actually. If my pets were my children I'd probably have nothing left below the belt. Who'd want to birth that many kids! Yipers!
You're such a charming lass, you know that?
You're such a charming lass, you know that?
Oh, I know. Not my best moment. Part of me wishes I'd just decided to mess with her instead of arguing. You know, like copied everything she said until she got really, REALLY pissed off, then tell her I'm done having this discussion with her. Say I can't talk this way to someone who keeps copying me, and I have no idea why she feels the juvenile need to say everything I say. But I don't really want to be banned, heh.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Oh Nose.
I know I've complained about this already but...
It sucks, it's hard, I knooow. Whoever told you rescue was easy was stupid or fucking with you.
I know this is probably one grumpy post too many, but this was an extremely difficult day. I drove 8 hours this fine Sunday. Four hours to McKinney, where I picked up Lanie (who does not appear to be full lab) and another dog on its way to Houston. Then I drove four hours back. No, actually, my fiance drove four hours back - I sat in the back of the car with two dogs.
But..that's fun, isn't it? Not when one of those dogs is aiming sneezes at your face. Lanie had a wicked sneeze. It wasn't an occasional blast, either, but a frequent sniffle. Her sneezes smelled like dog blood. I couldn't nap because my hands and face reeked of blood. The fluid was clear, but this makes me wonder if she has pneumonia. Sure, she was vaccinated for bordatella (actually caused by one or more of about a zillion things) and her distemper/parvo combo, but those shots take a few weeks to protect a dog. And the sneezing was horrible. I'm wondering at this point if perhaps something in the car was irritating her.
An hour away from home it starts to get cold, now that the sun has gone down. My fiance turns on the heater, only for the entire car to fill with the most sudden and pungent stink of death. He quickly shuts it off, but we're gagging and wondering what the hell died in his car (it recently broke down and sat by the woods for a week - anything could have crawled up in there). He rolls down the only functioning window and blasts the AC. Eventually the stink fades (I feel for those poor dogs and their noses!), but we discover we can't roll the window back UP. Now there is freezing cold air blowing in at 70 mph for the last 60 minutes of highway. Just...ugh. I'm not really in heaven.
We get home, hand off the other doggy to its new owner, and I get the genius idea to call the girl who picked her up from the shelter for me and ask her if she had been sneezing with her, too.
It turns out she had been. It turns out, MOST of the dogs at the shelter are sick. I don't understand how a shelter could adopt out an unhealthy animal. Now MY dog is at risk, my dog who just had surgery 3 weeks ago and just now finished her antibiotics. You HAVE to tell people that stuff ahead of time, and if they're on meds, SAY so and INCLUDE it! Don't just ship it home with someone without a word of warning! Few things could be LESS safe or responsible than handing off dogs without mentioning they are sick with an unknown sneeze that smells like blood.
She says she had put her on doxycycline for "2-3 days," and that most of the dogs put on antibiotics (doxy "or you can put her on any other general antibiotic") cleared up after a few days. You know how when you go to the doctor with the sniffles, and they hand you antibiotics and warn you not to stop the antibiotics before you've taken them all, even if you feel better? It's not different for dogs. Dogs and all animals on antibiotics need to finish a full cycle of antibiotics once they've started. Was I given antibiotics? No, but I'll be at the vet tomorrow, spending surprise money on an office call and antibiotics, won't I! And in the meantime, I have to sterilize every single thing that comes into contact with her every single time it comes into contact. I don't even know what food she was on, so she's probably going to have the runs on top of it. Yay...a dehydrated sick dog.
The good news? She's damned adorable, and very friendly, and obedient. I can't look for a home for her until she's no longer sick, and I can't get her spayed/vaccinated until that point, either. She doesn't look to me like she's completely lab, but you can definitely see it in her. Maybe it's just that she's young? Here, have photos!
-Mouse
If you are going to run a shelter you HAVE to properly quarantine and isolate your animals to keep them from getting sick!
It sucks, it's hard, I knooow. Whoever told you rescue was easy was stupid or fucking with you.
I know this is probably one grumpy post too many, but this was an extremely difficult day. I drove 8 hours this fine Sunday. Four hours to McKinney, where I picked up Lanie (who does not appear to be full lab) and another dog on its way to Houston. Then I drove four hours back. No, actually, my fiance drove four hours back - I sat in the back of the car with two dogs.
But..that's fun, isn't it? Not when one of those dogs is aiming sneezes at your face. Lanie had a wicked sneeze. It wasn't an occasional blast, either, but a frequent sniffle. Her sneezes smelled like dog blood. I couldn't nap because my hands and face reeked of blood. The fluid was clear, but this makes me wonder if she has pneumonia. Sure, she was vaccinated for bordatella (actually caused by one or more of about a zillion things) and her distemper/parvo combo, but those shots take a few weeks to protect a dog. And the sneezing was horrible. I'm wondering at this point if perhaps something in the car was irritating her.
An hour away from home it starts to get cold, now that the sun has gone down. My fiance turns on the heater, only for the entire car to fill with the most sudden and pungent stink of death. He quickly shuts it off, but we're gagging and wondering what the hell died in his car (it recently broke down and sat by the woods for a week - anything could have crawled up in there). He rolls down the only functioning window and blasts the AC. Eventually the stink fades (I feel for those poor dogs and their noses!), but we discover we can't roll the window back UP. Now there is freezing cold air blowing in at 70 mph for the last 60 minutes of highway. Just...ugh. I'm not really in heaven.
We get home, hand off the other doggy to its new owner, and I get the genius idea to call the girl who picked her up from the shelter for me and ask her if she had been sneezing with her, too.
It turns out she had been. It turns out, MOST of the dogs at the shelter are sick. I don't understand how a shelter could adopt out an unhealthy animal. Now MY dog is at risk, my dog who just had surgery 3 weeks ago and just now finished her antibiotics. You HAVE to tell people that stuff ahead of time, and if they're on meds, SAY so and INCLUDE it! Don't just ship it home with someone without a word of warning! Few things could be LESS safe or responsible than handing off dogs without mentioning they are sick with an unknown sneeze that smells like blood.
She says she had put her on doxycycline for "2-3 days," and that most of the dogs put on antibiotics (doxy "or you can put her on any other general antibiotic") cleared up after a few days. You know how when you go to the doctor with the sniffles, and they hand you antibiotics and warn you not to stop the antibiotics before you've taken them all, even if you feel better? It's not different for dogs. Dogs and all animals on antibiotics need to finish a full cycle of antibiotics once they've started. Was I given antibiotics? No, but I'll be at the vet tomorrow, spending surprise money on an office call and antibiotics, won't I! And in the meantime, I have to sterilize every single thing that comes into contact with her every single time it comes into contact. I don't even know what food she was on, so she's probably going to have the runs on top of it. Yay...a dehydrated sick dog.
The good news? She's damned adorable, and very friendly, and obedient. I can't look for a home for her until she's no longer sick, and I can't get her spayed/vaccinated until that point, either. She doesn't look to me like she's completely lab, but you can definitely see it in her. Maybe it's just that she's young? Here, have photos!
 |
| It's the narrow nose and the backwards ears that confuse me. She certainly seems to have lab in her, but could she be a mix? |
 |
| The color's awful in this, but see what I mean? That doesn't look like a lab type conformation to me. |
 |
| The Houston-bound doggy |
 |
| That's what strikes me as a lab-face, but I'm no expert! |
-Mouse
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Shelter Folks - Pt. 2!
Oh yes, they came back.
Well, at least this conversation was ever so slightly more civil. The first several minutes of it was with a different fellow, and that did the trick. He was much less intoxicated and much more reasonable, right up until his friend the "animal shelteroverlord overseer" butted in.
Today we learned that their shelter has the aid of two fewer animal control officers than mentioned five minutes past, and that they do zero vaccinations or vetting. This, after telling me they spare no expense and take each animal case-by-case, with zero budget worries. I asked him what they do for quarantine. He said nothing.
"His" shelter as he tells it keeps the dogs (dogs only?) in pens with state-required solid metal flooring and sidewalls. He believes this is enough to prevent dog-to-dog infections. I quickly pointed out that was NOT the case, and asked if they ever followed up to note just how many of their dogs get sick post-adoption. Okay, I didn't say that. I wanted to, though.
I did, however, point out that some infections are spread via aerosol and all they needed was for one dog to sneeze or cough. In rebuttal, he explained that his shelter controlled infections by spraying down kennels with hot water every day.
Ooooh good, we can merge ALL contaminants in warm water in puddles of commonly walked areas! Excellent way to control infections between your zillion dogs.
Look, washing things is perfect and exactly what you should do, but it does NOT take the place of quarantine or vetting. Dogs can come in looking fine and then show symptoms of rabies, distemper, parvo, kennel cough. Congratulations, you're adopting out dogs that may die and/or infect other dogs. Some diseases ARE killed by heat, but some need something stronger like bleach, UV sterilization, etc. There are plenty of excellent cleaning solutions available and almost all are concentrated, making it not that terribly expensive to invest in. How about spraying the kennels down with roccal or nolvasan?
To pretend that standards of hygiene, cross-contamination prevention, and disinfection are impractical is to admit that you have bitten off more than you can chew. Of course there will be odd and unpleasant surprises, but I said it last time - the capacity of animals you can handle is the exact number of creatures you can correctly, humanely, efficiently, and completely care for. You should absolutely be doing your part to control communicable diseases and to make sure all adoptable animals are in good health. Heck, many places here ONLY adopt out animals they've vaccinated and fixed. I don't care what your limiting factor is - staff, finances, or time. What you can handle is what you can handle, and telling me you don't do anything but the minimum state-mandated housing requirements to control the health of your animals does not impress or school me.
Hey guys? Now is a good time to point this out. I am a beginner. I've been working in and with animal shelters since I started high school, but I am still new to this. I've never run a shelter, and I'm still in my first year of vet tech classes - still a n00b. Sometimes I get really passionate about things and spout off like I know it all, but you are ABSOLUTELY allowed and encouraged to correct me at ANY point in time should I say something just totally and completely wrong, or even if you have something to add. I'm at a point in my life where I'm soaking up knowledge like a sponge and every source is welcome! Please do correct me.
I'm sure I'm going to re-read these in three or four years and shake my head at what a silly, loud-mouthed girl I was, but in the meantime, to speak and to be corrected is to learn. That, and you know, the zillion other ways I'm learning right now!
On the upside to the whole conversation with those fellas, I did get to point them toward a really great record software for shelters. I use it to keep track of my own fosters as well as enter in lost-and-found animals from Craigslist. It's free and if you'd like to check it out you can find it here. It has a million smoothly-integrated features, including crossreferencing lost, found, and in-house animals, maintaining vet records, donations, expenses, vaccinations, fosters, contacts, basically everything. I'm really glad they're looking into it, especially since I'm trying to pitch it to our local shelter soon. Our humane society recently changed management, but before, lost and found records weren't cross-referenced to anything. They were thrown in a binder with zero organization and were only pulled out if someone came in and wanted to look through them manually. The software, on the other hand, is free and took me about five minutes to learn how to use. It's a great thing!
-Mouse
Well, at least this conversation was ever so slightly more civil. The first several minutes of it was with a different fellow, and that did the trick. He was much less intoxicated and much more reasonable, right up until his friend the "animal shelter
Today we learned that their shelter has the aid of two fewer animal control officers than mentioned five minutes past, and that they do zero vaccinations or vetting. This, after telling me they spare no expense and take each animal case-by-case, with zero budget worries. I asked him what they do for quarantine. He said nothing.
"His" shelter as he tells it keeps the dogs (dogs only?) in pens with state-required solid metal flooring and sidewalls. He believes this is enough to prevent dog-to-dog infections. I quickly pointed out that was NOT the case, and asked if they ever followed up to note just how many of their dogs get sick post-adoption. Okay, I didn't say that. I wanted to, though.
I did, however, point out that some infections are spread via aerosol and all they needed was for one dog to sneeze or cough. In rebuttal, he explained that his shelter controlled infections by spraying down kennels with hot water every day.
Ooooh good, we can merge ALL contaminants in warm water in puddles of commonly walked areas! Excellent way to control infections between your zillion dogs.
Look, washing things is perfect and exactly what you should do, but it does NOT take the place of quarantine or vetting. Dogs can come in looking fine and then show symptoms of rabies, distemper, parvo, kennel cough. Congratulations, you're adopting out dogs that may die and/or infect other dogs. Some diseases ARE killed by heat, but some need something stronger like bleach, UV sterilization, etc. There are plenty of excellent cleaning solutions available and almost all are concentrated, making it not that terribly expensive to invest in. How about spraying the kennels down with roccal or nolvasan?
To pretend that standards of hygiene, cross-contamination prevention, and disinfection are impractical is to admit that you have bitten off more than you can chew. Of course there will be odd and unpleasant surprises, but I said it last time - the capacity of animals you can handle is the exact number of creatures you can correctly, humanely, efficiently, and completely care for. You should absolutely be doing your part to control communicable diseases and to make sure all adoptable animals are in good health. Heck, many places here ONLY adopt out animals they've vaccinated and fixed. I don't care what your limiting factor is - staff, finances, or time. What you can handle is what you can handle, and telling me you don't do anything but the minimum state-mandated housing requirements to control the health of your animals does not impress or school me.
Hey guys? Now is a good time to point this out. I am a beginner. I've been working in and with animal shelters since I started high school, but I am still new to this. I've never run a shelter, and I'm still in my first year of vet tech classes - still a n00b. Sometimes I get really passionate about things and spout off like I know it all, but you are ABSOLUTELY allowed and encouraged to correct me at ANY point in time should I say something just totally and completely wrong, or even if you have something to add. I'm at a point in my life where I'm soaking up knowledge like a sponge and every source is welcome! Please do correct me.
I'm sure I'm going to re-read these in three or four years and shake my head at what a silly, loud-mouthed girl I was, but in the meantime, to speak and to be corrected is to learn. That, and you know, the zillion other ways I'm learning right now!
On the upside to the whole conversation with those fellas, I did get to point them toward a really great record software for shelters. I use it to keep track of my own fosters as well as enter in lost-and-found animals from Craigslist. It's free and if you'd like to check it out you can find it here. It has a million smoothly-integrated features, including crossreferencing lost, found, and in-house animals, maintaining vet records, donations, expenses, vaccinations, fosters, contacts, basically everything. I'm really glad they're looking into it, especially since I'm trying to pitch it to our local shelter soon. Our humane society recently changed management, but before, lost and found records weren't cross-referenced to anything. They were thrown in a binder with zero organization and were only pulled out if someone came in and wanted to look through them manually. The software, on the other hand, is free and took me about five minutes to learn how to use. It's a great thing!
-Mouse
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Shelters
I'm sorry to do this, but my first content post is gonna be a grumpy one. Sometimes this happens. It's good to bitch about the things that are wrong with animal care, or just vent about what upsets you about it, otherwise you warp into one of those people who have seen too much and are convinced animals should rule people. I'll tag it as "grumpy" so you can avoid my griping posts if you so desire. :p
It's a widely known fact that shelters cost money. LOTS of money. Even with in house or discounted vetting, shelters are darned expensive. Everyone knows this because most shelters work their booties off advertising the fact and asking for help. Depending on where the shelter is located it may or may not receive aid from it's city/county/state, but regardless, it still costs tons of money to run a shelter responsibly.
Oh, there are TONS of ways to cut expenses, namely running the shelter IRresponsibly, but not one person I've ever met is in animal rescue for the paycheck. Not one person I didn't want to euthanize personally, that is.
Running a shelter is about balance. There is an equilibrium to be sought between the administrative, the financial, the practical, and the dream. Shelters exist to save lives and ease suffering; they should not exist solely to control the population. EVERY shelter has its capacity, a magical number calculated from space, supplies, time, finances, aid, and manpower. A capacity is not a hindrance to an ideal, it's a necessary number. A capacity keeps the animals who achieved a place in the shelter the BEST possible care. If you take in 50 animals a week and by Friday they all have meals in their tummies, blankets and litterboxes, and are protected against communicable diseases, you've done infinitely better than if you took in 100 animals and all of them starved to death or died of blah virus. Capacities reign in the idea and make the physical shelter possible.
So when some asshat from Connecticut tells me at my hotel job that he "oversees" a city shelter in his hometown, and they don't HAVE volunteers, and their employees are paid VERY well, and they don't HAVE caps, and they don't NEED a budget, I can't help but get a little frustrated. What are you, some future-of-animal-rescue guru? You know what that kind of shit tells me?
It tells me your shelter...
Or maybe your shelter just keeps the lights and heater on with magic and unicorns. Makes you wonder if that guy really "oversees" the shelter and if the people who work there are sick of him not pitching in yet.
Ooh, and you know what else? He has the balls to tell me that Peta said shelters in the South are less likely to take in cats and dogs than them...and then I cut him off. Because at my job or not, no one is going to talk Peta to me. Peta and the HSUS create more problems for animal shelters, and work more toward the destruction of pet ownership and animal life/care than any other two related organizations I know. If he ACTUALLY involved himself in the workings of "his" city shelter, he'd know how badly organizations like that screw rescues on a regular basis. Oh I was very polite about cutting him off, but this is a no-Peta zone. About a 10 foot radius around me. Peta kids bounce off it like a force-field.
This is my hotel job. When I come here, I come prepared to handle drunks, room keys that don't work, and comically Murphy's-Law-esque breakdowns of technology. Bringing up Peta, when I'm barely keeping my cool in the candy-coated discussion already, is enough to really knock me off balance. Let's just get back to you going away and sleeping off your drinks, yeah?
*grumble bitch*
-Mouse
It's a widely known fact that shelters cost money. LOTS of money. Even with in house or discounted vetting, shelters are darned expensive. Everyone knows this because most shelters work their booties off advertising the fact and asking for help. Depending on where the shelter is located it may or may not receive aid from it's city/county/state, but regardless, it still costs tons of money to run a shelter responsibly.
Oh, there are TONS of ways to cut expenses, namely running the shelter IRresponsibly, but not one person I've ever met is in animal rescue for the paycheck. Not one person I didn't want to euthanize personally, that is.
Running a shelter is about balance. There is an equilibrium to be sought between the administrative, the financial, the practical, and the dream. Shelters exist to save lives and ease suffering; they should not exist solely to control the population. EVERY shelter has its capacity, a magical number calculated from space, supplies, time, finances, aid, and manpower. A capacity is not a hindrance to an ideal, it's a necessary number. A capacity keeps the animals who achieved a place in the shelter the BEST possible care. If you take in 50 animals a week and by Friday they all have meals in their tummies, blankets and litterboxes, and are protected against communicable diseases, you've done infinitely better than if you took in 100 animals and all of them starved to death or died of blah virus. Capacities reign in the idea and make the physical shelter possible.
So when some asshat from Connecticut tells me at my hotel job that he "oversees" a city shelter in his hometown, and they don't HAVE volunteers, and their employees are paid VERY well, and they don't HAVE caps, and they don't NEED a budget, I can't help but get a little frustrated. What are you, some future-of-animal-rescue guru? You know what that kind of shit tells me?
It tells me your shelter...
- Is a high-kill joint, and/or
- Doesn't provide adequately for in-house animals, and/or
- Turns down more animals than you say, and/or
- Is understaffed thanks to the glorious pay the admins/vets receive (since you mentioned you are all paid well and that vets make FAR more pay), and/or
- Cuts corners on humane care, vetting, quarantining, or any of those other pesky practices that take time AND money, and/or
- Kills/removes/vanishes healthy, young, or adoptable animals to keep up with atypical arrivals from animal control
Or maybe your shelter just keeps the lights and heater on with magic and unicorns. Makes you wonder if that guy really "oversees" the shelter and if the people who work there are sick of him not pitching in yet.
Ooh, and you know what else? He has the balls to tell me that Peta said shelters in the South are less likely to take in cats and dogs than them...and then I cut him off. Because at my job or not, no one is going to talk Peta to me. Peta and the HSUS create more problems for animal shelters, and work more toward the destruction of pet ownership and animal life/care than any other two related organizations I know. If he ACTUALLY involved himself in the workings of "his" city shelter, he'd know how badly organizations like that screw rescues on a regular basis. Oh I was very polite about cutting him off, but this is a no-Peta zone. About a 10 foot radius around me. Peta kids bounce off it like a force-field.
This is my hotel job. When I come here, I come prepared to handle drunks, room keys that don't work, and comically Murphy's-Law-esque breakdowns of technology. Bringing up Peta, when I'm barely keeping my cool in the candy-coated discussion already, is enough to really knock me off balance. Let's just get back to you going away and sleeping off your drinks, yeah?
*grumble bitch*
-Mouse
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