And then you get the 'anti-shelter' people who think that the shelter should just adopt any pet to any person who walks in, regardless of how well that pet might do in that person's home.
I know of a couple, they are into hunting with hounds and for fun vacations, like to go shooting prairie dogs (because, ya know, the holes can break a horse's leg). Like, that many people travel on horseback through prairie dog desert areas now days. In my opinion they just like to use live animals as target practice. Plus they had a small dog that was a pet (as opposed to their hounds which are not pets) and they decide to breed her so she could have one batch of puppies to make her a better dog before they spayed her.
The woman, actually got ticked off of me, when I suggested they not do that...that if they are happy with the dog they have now, there's no reason to try to make it better and send 4 or 5 more puppies into this world that is killing millions of puppies every year due to out of control dog breeding.
Well, one day I was talking about the shelter with a co worker (I use to work at this shelter too)...and that couple was there and the husband says, I wouldn't give a "g.d. dime to that ridiculous place"
Of course, I said, what's ridiculous about a place that offers shelter, food, and medical help to animals that have no where else to turn"
He first complained about how much they wanted to adopt a pet (and here it's cheap...only $35 to $50 depending upon age, and sex of the animal). And he said that they would let people just pick the animal they wanted...that they required one to fill out a questionnaire and wold even refuse to adopt if they didn't like what they read. (and I'm thinking 'Well Duh!')
Then told me about how the shelter was taking in feral cats, spaying them and returning them to where they were found. "It's Stupid" he said and a waste of money.
I said, "Actually, no it wasn't...and there is solid proven scientific studies and logic behind the practice, which has been going on for decades now in bigger cities around the world" And I explained that they found if you just round up the cats and kill them or whatever...then any cat that escapes the round up, just breeds and also more cats move in from other areas where there's a bit of a population and the problem isn't solved.
But, in spaying and returning cats...it keeps cats kind of in the same area, and if a new one should come in...especially if it's not spayed or neutered, it lessens the chance of another litter. Feral cat colonies can then be maintained at a lower population, and the ferals can also be monitored, given vaccinations and even have feeding bins set up to help them live a little healthier lives.
He said it was still stupid and they should just kill them as they found them, and that would stabilize the population just as quick. It ticked me off, and I just told him 'Whatever, I'm just glad that there are compassionate people out there who are dealing with things in a newer, less brutal way, and that they way we treat our most basic defenseless ones, the animals and the children, says a lot about how we are evolving as a society....as humans. And I would rather see people reach out with compassion towards any helpless being or creature than with than violence".
His wife was all huffed up about that...but I told her that some people actually look into problems and try to figure out better ways of fixing them, and others just do what's been done for centuries even though it doesn't work....and they should actually go read the studies on the internet before they spout off about how stupid the shelter was being in the feral cat program.
Also, I might add...that most of these feral cats are from ranches...pets tossed out of cars because the owners thought that the cat could survive in the country, especially since there's a ranch house near by. The ranchers here love the cats, they keep the mice out of the grain sheds, and tack sheds...but they don't go out of their way to take care of them. And the ranch dogs end up killing a good number of the cats.
Most of the ranchers, btw, love this program. They have lived most of their lives seeing feral cats over populate their property, and how many die due to lack of food, illness, and from predators. So many will even go get cage traps from the shelter, and bring in the trapped cats to have them fixed and immunized and will then take them back to the ranch and let them go again.
One rancher I know, said it's better now because he no longer sees 4 or 5 pregnant cats and then later seeing dozens of kittens that he knows most won't make it. He said almost all the kittens end up dead, every year because of lack of nutrition, or illness, or killed by tom cats, etc. But then enough would survive and along with more dumped cats there would be cycles of too many cats again and then adult cats would start starving or there were constant fights and matings.
He said that now, they have basically the same cats, and if a new one comes in, he doesn't worry about it getting pregnant, if it's a female and if it's a tom there's not even as much fighting as the neutered males are not as territorial nor wanting to fight due to a female in heat. Then when he has the time, and is going to come into town, he said he can plan a capture for the new cat and take it to the shelter and either leave it, if it's gentle enough, or take it back as another ranch feral.
The shelter understands that these ferals are not going to get the same care as an adopted house cat, but they do work with the ranchers, donating to them cat food during winter months and asking the ranchers to at least set up a way for the cats to get into a shed or barn that has straw or something for them to burrow into to keep warm during the worst of the winter weather. Most ranchers are good people and are willing to do that.
Anyway, it's a bit off topic from the original rant here...but not by too much I hope...it's still people...like the couple I mentioned, who flap their lips about something they don't know anything about, nor are willing to check into it...and be willing to let go of old ideas about animal care and can't or won't see why these new solutions work.
Also...in adopting...that it's' not a good practice to just hand over any animal to any person that wants it, as some animals might not be good around children, or a cat might not fit into a home that has other cats if that cat is aggressive towards other felines.
Sorry this turned out longer than I expected..
This is why I try not to rant very often... I build up steam and then it's hard to stop...lol.
I hope you can learn to ignore the 'clueless do-gooders' at your shelter....you know you are doing right by the animals in your care and that is your shield against those who *think* they know what is what.
Stormy
