Anyone who works with animals or works in an animal shelter has had, or will have people ask them some of these questions...I think a general, "You are not adopting my pet" will work. Don't they know that when you work day in and day out with these homeless pets, they stop being 'shelter animals' and start becoming 'my pets', even if they don't technically belong to me. Trust me, if I had the space, the time and the money, they would all be 'my pets'.
Without further ado...the 'you are not adopting my pet' saga:
To the people who message me with no information about themselves, or their experience with animals. You are only interested in how to get to my house, how big the animal is, and whether or not it's free. You are not adopting my pet.
To the people who aren't going to be home, but ask me if I can drop the animal off at your neighbor's house. You are not adopting my pet.
To the 14 year olds who want the cute cuddly kittens, or bunnies. Does your mother know you're scanning the adoption forum? Do you have a job to care for these animals? You are not adopting my pet.
To the people who inquire about the iguanas but who openly admit they have no knowledge of how big they actually get, You are not adopting my pet.
To the people from Connecticut, Mississippi, ect, who message me and ask how far I am willing to drive....well, I'm not. You are not adopting my pet.
To the people who ask if I know of any numbers of breeders and if I could get them a nice discount. Hello? You are not adopting my pet.
To the people who ask if they can adopt puppies and kittens in pairs, so they can breed them when they get older....you are not adopting my pet(s).
Once in a while, I receive a purebred cat, or a very desirable breed of dog, or expensive species of snake that needs to be put up for adoption. These obviously get the MOST replies. Most replies consist of: "I want it, e-mail me with pics." Um, no. Thanks for playing. You are not adopting my pet.
Some e-mails contain "I'm interested in the animal for adoption. Please call me back today after 9, or tomorrow between 10 and 11, or again after 3." No, I'm not taking these orders from someone I don't know. If you REALLY want to adopt the said animal, then YOU will contact me when it's convenient for ME. Otherwise....You are not adopting my pet.
A lot of the e-mails consist of "Hello. We're 3 college girls sharing an apartment, and we want to adopt your kitty! We can offer it lots and lots of love!" That's very sweet of you girls, really, but what will you do when you graduate college and move on with your life? Where will the kitty end up? You are not adopting my pet.
Often times people will surrender their animals to me because the animals are sick or injured, and the people don't have the time or desire to care for them. Once I make sure the anima is doing well, I will put them up for adoption. The SAME people who GAVE me their animal want to adopt them back. Are you kidding? No. Just, no. YOU are not adopting my pet (or any other in my care...probably ever).
To the people who tell me that I'm selfish for charging a small adoption fee. SELFISH? If I were truly selfish, I would not be doing this in the first place, now would I? You are not adopting my pet.
To the people interested in small animals and reptiles. When I ask you which veterinarian you plan on using...and you tell me that only dogs and cats need a vet...WAKE UP. Exotics get sick too. You are not adopting my pet.
To the people who want to adopt an animal for a birthday or Christmas present...That's a sweet thought. Very kind of you. And while I have no doubt that your intentions are good, absolutely not. When the recipient of this animal decides they don't want it, what will you do then? You are not adopting my pet
And finally, the handful of people who write e-mails that consist of, "Hello. We are a loving family of four living in a nice home with a fenced in yard. We have lots of experience with animals and are looking for one more to add to our family." YES! YOU are adopting my pet!!!!
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Comments: 17
The 2 cats and the bird were all give to us and we love them to death....
Both of the dogs we adopted from the local shelter... They are all loveable pets...
As some of you know, our black lab mix ended up getting into some antifreeze (which was not on our property.. long story, but I have posted the story here on gather and an update will be coming this afternoon after picking her up from the vets and getting the final tests done.)
The day before this happened, I had found a home for our Newfie mix that we had. She was a great dog, but we had just gotten ourselves into too much with all the animals... No, I had no intention of taking her down to the local animal shelter and if it had taken a year to find her a good home, I would have searched and searched. We did find a great home for her with kids in the family. She really adores kids...
We recevied quite a bit of email and I still am receiving email about others wanting to adopt her. I agree, the screening process can be tedious, but if you really want your pet to go to a good home, you really need to do a thorough check to make sure the new family will treat the pet like you want her to be treated.
Thanks for the posting.
Carol~most shelters, including the one I'm at, charge an adoption fee when re-homing pets. Partly this adoption fee is to cover the cost of any medical treatments/ vaccinations/neutering or spaying on the animals, but it's partly there to ensure that our animals go to homes that can afford them. Do you know much it costs to feed a large breed dog like a Great Dane or a Newfie? If someone is 'poor' as you stated, then they should probably skip the pets and concentrate on keeping their family clothed, fed and with a roof over their heads. If I had a dime for every skinny, sick, malnourished pet that I've picked up from people who couldn't afford them in the first place....well, I'd be rich with a houseful of pets.
Kathleen~ You, my friend, are correct. We don't adopt out just based on their say-so. Home visits are a must! I probably should have written that in there somewhere, but it was late and I was lazy...lol.....(btw, I'll trade you 1 Dane for 2 Aussies...lololol)
Wendy~My dear girl....I apologize for making you so defensive. What you need to realize is that what you deem as appropriate for housing a pet isn't necessarily what someone else deems appropriate. In my (I manage it, doing everything except signing the paychecks) shelter, we deal mainly with large breed dogs that have been deemed 'unadoptable' or 'problem' dogs. These guys could be at our place because they're runners, or they're poorly socialized, or someone adopted them who knew nothing about the breed and then got upset when the dog didn't behave the way they'd thought it would. Your kennel idea wouldn't work for the animals we adopt out because we want our pets to be members of the family, and you wouldn't keep your kids in that kennel all day, would you? I can't imagine it would be much of a life for a shelter pet to go from one kennel at the shelter to another kennel in their 'home'. And finally...first time pet owners don't get our animals because as I said, most of our pets come with some issues, and I honestly believe that's the case in the majority of shelters across the country. Yes, some animals get put there because their family can't take care of them, but for the most part they're there because there's a problem. Truthfully, in my house I have 2 pitbulls that live with me simply because although they're great so far, they both have some behaviors that a novice pet owner couldn't handle. It takes a strong 'pack leader' to be able to stand her ground when she goes to push the pitty off the couch and he growls at her. And honestly, and I don't say this to be cruel or mean, but if you were to come to my place and express the things you did in your reply, my answer to you would be, You are not adopting my pet.
I do not understand people who adopt a pet and who do not have time for it. Dogs, especially, need supervision, interaction, and education. Many shelter animals have special needs, or have already been abandoned or abused. They don't need that twice in a lifetime. My best friends used to volunteer at a no-kill cat shelter whose adoption guidelines were so strict that one of the volunteers would usually check out the adopter's home in person before letting the cat go. I don't think that's unreasonable.
If what you have to offer a dog is to be tied up in the backyard or kept in a kennel, get a cat or some fish. If you cannot afford good quality vet care, don't get a pet at all.
We have a large fenced in back yard for our dogs, but in our search for a new home, it MUST have at least five acres. Why? For the dogs. We love them that much.
David~ I bet you do see it all. I've been known to turn in a person or two myself. Someone has to speak for those who can't. I'm proud of you for doing what's right, instead of what some people think is okay. My pets are incredibly spoiled, and I like them that way! lol
Shannon~Boy, can I relate to your reply. I knew I loved my pets when I was buying a new couch and instead of thinking, "That'll look good in the livingroom" I thought, "Will the dogs like it? Will it be big enough for them all to lie on or is someone gonna have to sleep on the floor?" Plus, I set my schedule according to the four-legged kids..."Can't go on that weekend getaway...who'll give Bailey her treat before bed? What if something happens to them?"....Egads...lol
In reading your article, I had to think of all of my resuce animals. I have 4 dogs ..3 rescued, 1 purchased years ago and now 4 cats, all rescued. I make sure that all of these "babies" are treated at the vets office for any illnesses or problems, but I "treat" them at home for all of the love and attention that they all deserve. I have a Shnauser, pit bull, japanese chin,& chihuahua. I could not imagine letting any of these babies suffer, and yes, I have also been one who has and will contact any agency I can to report any offensive or abusive behavior to any animal.
I live in a very rural area and many times pets are "lost" or "dropped off" in this area, and always find their way to our house. I will always feed, bath, and love this newbie , to my husbands dismay. He tells me that we can't feed all animals who find their way to our house, but I always win in the long run, and he is an animal lover enough to allow me to find them a home...those who haven't found a home with us, but the one problem that I have found with the local shelter, whom we wanted to adopt a dog with was, that we don't live within the city limits. Therefore we are not allowed to adopt an animal from this shelter. We live on 1 acre fenced with 50 acres that we allow our dogs (the bigger ones) to run with us, when we release them from the fenced area. We are frustrated because we would love to have another dog, or 2 or 3. We spend more on our weekly dog food and dog treat, dog toy, & bedding budget than we do on our weekly food budget. But my husband and I both agreed that if the pet needs it, then we provide it. Thank goodness we are in a position that we can afford it.
I would love to see this in all homes that have the privelage of sharing their home with babies. But, I know that is not always the situation, so until these persons come into the "mindset" that these are not disposable friends/babies and that they are responsible for their survival, then I applaud you for being so diligent in your efforts. Kudos, and keep up the good work.
I have two dogs, (American Bulldog/Mix and a Dogo/Mix) both were stray dogs. One I found on the street, and the other I adpoted from a shelter. My dogo was a pile of bones when I adopted her. They were beautiful dogs at the shelter, but I insisted in taking the most pathetic looking one.
I nursed "Marga" back to health, bought her homeopathic remedies online, fed her, bathed her and always gave her lots of conversation, hugs and kisses. Marga transformed into a beautiful princess. I can only say that "Marga and Nicholas" are my life. When I come home frustrated from a bad day at work, there they are, ready to cheer me up.
I keep them inside the house, watching TV, with lots of food and water and if they wish to go out to my tiny yard they can go out through the "doggie door." A good walk each day is always a must or they will let me know immediatly! What else can I want from life? An affordable house with a big yard so I can adopt as many as I can possibly handle.