I read an interesting post today on my social media page.
It said:
"I continue to see rescues treat people in a way that
will sadly keep irresponsible breeders and pet stores in business."
Before you judge that statement, this person is heavily
into rescue. I'm involved with rescue and I have more friends than I can count
in rescue. I am a fan of tons of rescues and individual animals. However, I
totally get her post and there are many who agree.
Of course, this statement is not about all rescues. I do
believe we must take a step back every so often and do a reset, much like a dog
shaking it off. I attended an animal shelter worker seminar years ago and the
speaker asked us to raise our hands while he asked several questions. These
questions were yes or no questions with no room for offering explanation. As we
responded, the speaker would choose specific people to put their hands down
based on their response. We were asked if we had a fenced in yard, if we let
our cats go outside, if we had kids, if we had other animals, if we lived in
apartments, if our animals were home alone for more than four hours, if every
one of our animals was up to date on vaccinations, had a recent fecal
screening, were on heartworm preventives, flea control and so on. At the end of
the questioning, only a few people had their hands still raised. He then
revealed he was reading from a collection of adoption applications and only
those with their hands still raised would qualify to adopt. Eye opening to say
the very least.
He wanted us to see how we unintentionally narrow the
chances for animals to find a home. He also read off some adoption fees from
rescue groups that ranged from $100 to $500. The adoption fees for shelters
ranged from $0 to $200. I have personally experienced interaction with rescue
groups who seemed uninterested in my desire to volunteer, adopt or foster. I
have also been the person reviewing adoption applications.
I turned down an adoption application because the other dog
in the house, who was ten years old, was not neutered. I was adamant I was
doing the right thing; downright adamant. The people had fallen in love with a
dog at the shelter. They had been to the shelter several times meeting with the
dog and discussing their decision. When I turned them down the wife started to
cry. She told me they didn't know that neutering their dog meant they were
responsible pet owners but I made sure to correct her. She expressed that
considering the dog's veterinarian monitored health issues, neuter was
considered risky at that point. She also advised me he'd never sired any
puppies and was a stray when he joined their family as a young dog. Still, I
said no. A few weeks later they came back to the shelter. I smugly thought they
had their dog neutered because of me and I could now approve them. They
actually came to show me their new puppy. A puppy they purchased from a pet
store because they didn't have to meet any qualifications to buy him. I had
just played a part in supporting a puppy mill.
FOLLOW US!
A puppy mill, sometimes known as a puppy farm, is a commercial dog breeding facility that is operated with an emphasis upon profits above animal welfare and is often in substandard conditions regarding the well-being of dogs in their care. Similar types of operations exist for other animals most commonly kept as pets or used as feed for other animals. The term can be applied to operations involving other animals commercially bred for profit, e.g. "kitty mills." There are an estimated 4,000 puppy mills in the U.S. that produce more than half a million puppies a year. Commercial kennels may be licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture which may inspect the kennels routinely.
