January 8, 2009Comments are closed.mandatory desexing, No Kill
… comments from Gina Spadafori of Pet Connection blog.
Comment from a reader;
Thanks for the great article. I also just ordered his book (Winograd’s)
The only thing I have an issue with is:
“The animal movement has been living with the notion that despite all the evidence to the contrary that Americans are irresponsible and somehow don’t care enough about animals.”
All his evidence sounds like it is from a certain, more educated, demographic than what really exists in America. And not the one that lives in my neighborhood. In my valley, not a day goes by that I do not see 5-6 dogs in the middle of the street. Every day different dogs. Most dogs are outside only dogs. They are living alarm systems. I would be hard pressed to find a dog that has been spayed or neutered, or with a collar and tag. Most people I have spoken to think a dog should have at least one litter of puppies. Many have more. Dogs tied and chained are a common occurrence. All this is so rampant that it is the one thing that has made me think of moving because it is just too hard to deal with every day. (I am not, and am working for change, but the desire to run away from it is there).
Sadly, in many, many places, I am still waiting to see the evidence.
Response from Gina;
There will always be people who don’t take the best care of their pets. But that may be a failure of knowledge or lack of finances.
Consider this: Would you say that most people love and do their best to care for their children? I bet you would. And yet, every day you see evidence to the contrary. It doesn’t change the fact that most people love and want to do well by their children (and their pets). But sometimes, they need information, and sometimes, they need help.
When BADRAP went into what many would consider a troubled area with offers of vaccines, food and more, they had lines of people who came to learn and get the assistance. They heard from people who loved their dogs and wanted to do better for them, and with some help, they could!
The bottom line: People are mostly not evil or bad. Sometimes they need help, sometimes they need information (not lectures). Provide these and they’ll usually do what’s right.
Sometimes I find that the attitude towards ‘those people’ says more about our own socio-economic status that it does about theirs.
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The other day there was a snippet from a blow-hard radio talk-show host in which he stated that poor people were that way because of a failure of hard work and morals. In other words, it was their own darn fault.
I think there’s a certain amount of this attitude in the in the animal-rescue community as well. Especially the vigor with which the shelter industry makes an example of ‘bad’ pet owners, not by helping them, but by blaming them and killing their pets.
I am old enough to remember when battered women were told their domestic situation was their fault ‘they weren’t being ‘good wives’ or ‘you made your bed, now lie in it’.
Now, of course, we offer shelter to these women and their children.
I am very much looking forward to seeing a similar change in attitude take hold in the animal shelter industry. A ‘shelter’ shouldn’t be a place where you are told you’re shit for not keeping your pet and that by taking the animal to a ‘shelter’ you’re likely signing a death sentence.
Amen.
See the full article at Pet Connection: Is this the year everything changed? Nathan Winograd’s year in pets
Consider this: Would you say that most people love and do their best to care for their children? I bet you would. And yet, every day you see evidence to the contrary. It doesn’t change the fact that most people love and want to do well by their children (and their pets). But sometimes, they need information, and sometimes, they need help.
I think the part that makes me feel less inclined to take this information in a constructive light, is that loving and having children is different to “owning” or caring for a pet.
I have absolutely no doubt that there are many pet owners who have simply made poor choices, not had the right information and usually in the end before a surrender, lack of time and finances. I see it all the time. But these people have actively sought to take charge of another creature.
”
I am very much looking forward to seeing a similar change in attitude take hold in the animal shelter industry. A “shelter†shouldn’t be a place where you are told you’re shit for not keeping your pet and that by taking the animal to a “shelter†you’re likely signing a death sentence. ”
I understand this, logically. Why alienate when you can educate? However, should we as people in the rescue world also emotionally take on this BS? Should it be happy butterflies and roses when someone knows that if something is slightly in the “too hard basket” that they can take Fluffy down to the local animal shelter where the shelter staff will welcome them with open arms, accept Fluffy with 100% guarantees of rehoming, and tell them how good they are for bringing Fluffy in to the shelter? How is this education for someone, that when life gets too hard, there is always something /someone/somewhere to bail you out. Although I heartily believe in genuine shelter-required situations, TOO MANY pets are being surrendered for easily remedied problems.
I’m really excited to see lots of changes already that are being implemented in lots of shelters and rescues to help pets stay with their homes if at all possible. Pre-surrender counselling, in home training/behavioural help, discount desexing etc in my opinion are going to allow shelters to care for really needy animals, allowing them to best chance to be rehomed without having to compete with adoptable, surrendered animals that could be kept with their home with a different kind of approach. If someone refuses this help, and they are not in a dire need situation (such as illness/loss of home/income etc), then why shouldn’t they be made to feel like shit??
THEY are responsible for this animal. Not a council by laws officer, shelter worker or vet nurse. And even when these people provide help for these situations, and it is not taken, they are still expected to be sympathetic to someone – “No sorry, I don’t want or need your help to be a better guardian to my pet. I just want to get rid of it and make it someone else’s problem. Fluffy will get a home, he is such a great dog.” Well, if he is so great, why are you surrendering him?
I am all for No Kill. But there is no room for making things easy for people who do not want to actively try and better their and their animal’s situations in my world. I don’t have room left to take on that baggage.
If you walk in to a shelter, and the staff ask questions, offer you other solutions and you still say ” well we have already made the decision to surrender Fluffy, I can’t take him back home it would be too hard” don’t expect many animal lovers to give you much sympathy :)
I have come across people in my social life that have surrendered animals. All different situations, and experience with giving them up. There were a few that remembered “being made to feel guilty” for surrendering their pet, but on reflection after the event, understood why, and also regretted not working through the issue with their animal. This did not affect their view on adopting another animal from a shelter in the future, if anything, it cemented the enormity of pet ownership to them.
That “too hard basket” is pretty bloody big!
Rant over. Just find this a really interesting topic :)
Pet owners who care enough not to drop their pet off in a park or give it away free in the newspaper, seek help from us. But rather than being offered help, they’re often lectured about their ‘irresponsibility’ and others are simply told their pets will be put down.
Often we seem personally offended at the suggestion that we’re not entitled to treat surrendering owners like trash when they are reaching out for “shelter†for their pets. Unfortunately many operate with a perceived sense of moral superiority; “I’d never abandon my dog! Never!â€, “Even if I lost my home, I’d live in a car before I’d give up my dogâ€, “I’m better than you because you’re doing something I would NEVER do – you’re giving up a pet! Therefore, I’m justified in treating you with disdain because you’re a repugnant human being!â€
The problem we have is that pet owners aren’t coming into the shelter until they’ve passed a point of no return. And why would they, when we have a reputation for treating the people who come to us for help like jerks?
So when they finally do come to our shelters the bond between pet and owner is already irreparably broken. They’re saying, ‘no, I’ve given up and I’m not interested in your solutions. Just take my pet or I’ll have to take it to the vet to be put to sleep.’
No wonder we then get frustrated and resent the public even more; we’re constantly faced with owners not willing to try anything! Then we treat them like shit and the cycle continues.
The key is to get people to contact us long before they walk into the shelter to surrender their pet. We have to catch them when they’re just having their first problems and are thinking ‘I’m not sure I can deal with this’ and show them how to find resources and solutions.
And the ONLY way that will ever happen is if we have a complete 180 on our attitude towards the public. We have to see the community as not someone to be resisted and punished whenever they ‘deserve’ it, but instead as our greatest source of support.
We have to engage them in programs that make the shelter the centre of the animal-loving universe for all people, and see our role as that of a resource, helping to make life better for everyone who an animal. It means developing outreach programs to get help to the people who need it, with free desexing and tools to help them live safely and healthily with their animals.
There are always going to be “bad people.†But the overwhelming majority are just people who need help. Helping them and their pets is what “shelters†are supposed to be doing. That’s what shelters are for. That’s what they should be for.
Having a negative attitude, being filled with blame, frustration or anger – no matter what profession you are in – will not allow you to be in a frame of mind to accomplish amazing things. Laying blame isn’t how we move towards No Kill – instead we need to focus our energies in positive ways. And supporting our communites whether they ‘deserve it or not’ is the first step.