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Back to Basics (Reply)
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Monday, April 21, 2008
10:23:00 AM EDT
Written by mandy787 Blog about this entry |
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10:23:00 AM EDT
Back to Basics (Reply)
(Picture Above: "Mushy." A big, mushy, older black dog who loves to smother human hands and faces with kisses. Nornally, a very tough adoption because of size, age and color, but Mushy was fortunate to find a willing and extremely kindly foster person yesterday. If really "lucky" it will turn to an adoption. But, is rescue, foster and adoption alone, the answers to the problems? There is crying need to get back to the basics of spay/neuter).
Ubermom Writes: It takes very special caring indviduals to foster animals - give them love, help them adjust from horrendous situations, care for their medical conditions and then give them up to their permanent homes. I'm not the least bit suprised that Bubba's mom, Sarah, is a talented performer and singer. You have a wonderful team of foster parents.
The world can be a dark place for people and animals alike. Animals are God's children too. Each life you have saved, is like a candle. Just think, you and your team are responsible for thousands of candles lighting up the darkness.
Congratulations to Sarah for her substantial professional accomplishments - and congratulations to her for being such a good "mom" to Bubba, the dog - near death - who suffered from cancer, neglect and "smelled". And who now is happy, clean and loved.
The world can be a dark place for people and animals alike. Animals are God's children too. Each life you have saved, is like a candle. Just think, you and your team are responsible for thousands of candles lighting up the darkness.
Congratulations to Sarah for her substantial professional accomplishments - and congratulations to her for being such a good "mom" to Bubba, the dog - near death - who suffered from cancer, neglect and "smelled". And who now is happy, clean and loved.
Reply: Thanks so much once again for your generous and kind comment.
Yes, dedicated and qualified foster people are indeed the backbone of any rescue organization. They are in fact, the difference between life and death for tens of thousands of animals nationwide.
Although most of the attention in this blog has been focused on Sarah and her amazing story with Buba, this is not to ignore or dismiss the actions of others who have been equally sacrificing and dedicated to their foster animals.
Both, Zack and Christy (pictured the other night) have been tirelessly dedicated to the health and welfare of their foster dogs and have helped this organization to save many over the years. Currently, Zack is fostering two dogs -- Freddy and Minnie (rescued last week).
These people have shown amazing steadfastness, ability to take on challenges and commitment.
Each one is as valuable and necessary to the cause of saving animals as the other. Each one has their own stories to tell, though I don't personally get to put all of those stories of individual dogs and their foster people on the blog.
It is of course always a struggle to find new and good people like these -- though it seems we found one yesterday for Mushy (pictured above).
Most of the calls this organization receives every day turn out to be more exercises in frustration or humane education, than offers to save animals.
I am totally amazed and disheartened with the vast number of people who aren't "getting it" about the importance of spay/neuter and are failing to do this with their animals.
Yesterday, for example, I received a call from a woman needing to "give up" a two-year-old Cocker Spaniel.
Why?
The unneutered, male Spaniel is "barking too much trying to get my Poodle who is in heat and who I am having to separate."
Futher into this conversation, the woman divulged that she already has three, 6-month-old puppies from a previous, "accidental" mating of these two dogs and her landlady is now complaining.
When I asked her why she didn't spay and neuter these dogs, she answered that she "couldn't afford it." -- This despite buying the Spaniel from a pet shop and taking in the unspayed Poodle when her friends no longer wanted the dog.
One wants to scream when getting calls like these (and they actually represent the majority of the calls we get!) and yet, that of course, is no solution.
I eventually advised the young woman to call Bideawee, Humane Society or the ASPCA and request them to take the 3 Cockapoo puppies. (These should be highly desired and easily adoptable dogs). Since all three shelters also have low cost neutering services, I told her that she needed to get her two dogs neutered. The landlady had every reason to "complain" about a tenant turning her apartment into a puppy mill.
We really aren't doing the job of spay/neuter promotion. Low cost services do exist, but either people aren't aware of them or they are not convinced of the necessity to neuter animals, both for health reasons and to prevent situations like that just described.
At least 90% of those animals arriving to city pounds are NOT neutered. This should tell us that the humane community and the media has totally dropped the ball on spay/neuter promotion.
We talk about "Adoptathons" and "rescue groups" and communities becoming "no kill."
But, the reality is, that until most pet owners are neutering their cats and dogs, all the "Adoptathons" in the world are not going to stop the killing in our shelters.
Its (to me) a little like confronting the problems with poverty, disease, world hunger, war and environmental damage in the world.
We raise billions every year to feed starving children, when we really need to be dishing out free contraceptives.
So yes, as wonderful and necessary as dedicated foster people and rescue groups are to helping save animals, what's really needed is a nationwide media campaign, convincing pet owners of the need to neuter.
Back to basics. -- PCA
Written by mandy787 Blog about this entry |
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Couldn't agree with you more, Patty. And in addition to the contraceptives, information on vegan (or at least vegetarian) diet benefits, including, of course, the personal health and moral ethics ones but also the facts regarding the cost (in terms of funds, arable land, and animal AND human lives) of producing animal flesh would be some of the biggest and best ways those who care could truly be the change they want to see in this mixed-up, muddled-up world. Limiting family size (or better still, electing not to have children), opting for a vegan (or at least vegetarian) diet, and giving up the car in favor of public transportation are three steps anyone can choose to take to really be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. And as one thing tends to lead to another, people who are truly interested in making positive changes in their own lives tend to also want to educate themselves on what they can do for other living beings, and that can lead to adoption and spay/neuter, among other happy things.
4/22/08 7:52 AM
Needless to say, the same goes for cats.
Is it a "guy" thing that makes people not want to neuter their male pets? Is it a female thing - "Well, we want Fluffy to experience the joys of motherhood"?
I think what our pets want most from us is our love and care. Animals are not people. They do not think or decide the way we do. However, if they did -- I know my dog would choose me over ten litters. All she really cares about is being as close to me as possible, going for walks, being rewarded with treats, and given lots of affection. .. and conversation. She hangs on my every word. She may not understand a thing I say, but she's a very good listener. By the way, she agrees with everything I write ;)