He's being put down in the morning.
You brought him to the shelter because you couldn't afford vet care for him. That's obvious; he has an eye infection, skin infection, sores and hairloss over most of his body. You probably just didn't know how much care a Sharpei required when you got him from the breeder. Or maybe you did, and do, but just couldn't afford it anymore.
He's obviously miserable. He's scared and he's in pain.
You almost did the right thing. Had you stayed, we could have talked about his options and then euthanized him that day. We could have taken him peacefully to the rainbow bridge, and your mind would be at ease as well as his.
But you didn't stay. You lost courage at the last moment and tied him out front, his surrender form being his only advocate. You condemned him to 72 hours of limbo, waiting for an owner who would not return.
We'll take care of him. He'll be scared because you're not there, but we'll do our best to make it as easy as possible. Tonight he got a treat and some kind words, and he stopped growling for a moment.
You almost did the right thing.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Can't make this stuff up
I'm way behind. I'll start with the two most ridiculous ones from today, then an absurd one from about ten days ago, then on back. We'll see how it goes.
---
I guess the first one actually started yesterday. A Korean lady who looked very familiar came in. She was dressed very boldly and her English wasn't stellar, but it was definitely adequate. She placed a deposit on a chihuahua, and kept asking about his neuter, and how she didn't want him neutered and she wanted to take him to her vet, but she kept saying "noodled," and it was really throwing me off. She also kept asking about his teeth ("tea") and looking at us suspiciously.
Today, the dog she placed a deposit on was reclaimed. The owner showed a photo as proof, and happily paid the reclaim and the citation, totaling over $200. He was just glad his dog was okay and his kids could stop crying.
New guy, who had processed the deposit and the reclaim, had to call noodle lady to tell her the dog had been reclaimed. After a few minutes of him getting yelled at, I took over the phone conversation. She demanded to know what proof he showed, then demanded that we show her the proof, then accused us of just giving the dog to someone we liked better when I told her we would do neither of those things for her. All I needed to know was if she wanted a refund or wanted it kept on file for another adoption. She refused to answer the question, and kept making her demands that I had already refused. Rather than go through the whole ordeal again, I said, Okay, ma'am, I'll get started on your refund. It should arrive in a few weeks. Well, she didn't like that answer, and said that she would have her great nephew review the contract and then come in with him to see if we had any other small dogs.
Awesome.
---
Well. This one also started yesterday. Around 5:50 PM, ten minutes before closing, two dogs were still in surgery. I called the first adopter: no answer. I called the second adopter: I just pulled in! Traffic was hell!
After close, the deposit tag on the first dog was pulled and the deposit was canceled as a no call/no show, which means no refund.
Today, the adopter showed up and wanted to put the deposit back on. After yelling at the new guy for a few minutes, I explained to her that the deposit could not be put back on. Per the deposit agreement, the deposit was canceled at close of business because the dog was not picked up. As of right now, the dog was on the adoption floor and not eligible for a deposit because she was altered and not on stray hold, ready to go now. She then asked if she could just pay the remainder and come get the dog later; I said, no, that's the same as a deposit. She is not eligible for a deposit. Please refer back to section one of our discussion.
After yelling a little bit more and realizing that she wasn't going to get anywhere (God, I'm so good at dealing with difficult people), she left in a huff. She came back later and luckily the dog was still there, so she finalized the adoption. I found out that she was so upset because it was actually her dog, and she was gaming the system, which looked like it was going to bite her in the ass. (Owners are not generally allowed to adopt their own dog. They must reclaim, which incurs higher fees and possible citation from Animal Control). She almost lost her dog because, instead of notifying us and telling us she couldn't make it, she just didn't show up. Then, she did come in but couldn't take the dog, which makes no sense... Anyway, dog's back home, hopefully she stays there.
--
That story actually reminds me of another one from today. Guy comes in to reclaim his dog. I talked to his sister (this is a grown man) yesterday, and she said that she was paying for the reclaim only because she made him promise to have the dog spayed (this was her second time in in less than two weeks; she's in heat). He told me that she's pretty strict and won't just give him money; she'll pay for things, but there's always a catch. She's kind of awesome; you don't get to choose your family.
Anyway, he comes in today and he is thrilled because he's getting his baby girl back. I pull up the dog and realize it's a second reclaim ($150) and a second Running at Large citation ($150), which sets sister up to pay $300 right out the gate. It makes me sick to my stomach, and my face squinches up while I try to think of a way to help these folks...
Baby girl has a deposit and will go home on Monday. She will be spayed and microchipped, and hopefully never end up at the shelter again.
---
And the one you've been waiting for. It's so overdue.
Guy comes in, says he needs to surrender two cats. He filled out the surrender forms online (or maybe his wife did), so he waits while I review them. I see pretty much immediately that he lists a local rescue as the place where he got the cats. I told him that I'm sure it's part of the adoption contract that the cats return to the rescue. I ask if he's contacted the rescue. He says no. I say, again, trying to rephrase, that I'm sure that the rescue would prefer to get their cats back rather than have them surrendered to a kill shelter and be in danger (yes, I will say Kill Shelter if it suits me). For most humans, that argument works. Most humans, you know, with souls, would be willing to make one phone call to save their pets' lives.
Not this guy. In fact, he gets... snarky? I can't think of the word right now, but it's defiant in a way that only entitled white men can be. He says that he will not contact the rescue and that he is leaving the cats there.
I finally realize that I have not seen any cats, and ask where the cats are. He says they are in the car, and I ask him to go ahead and get the cats while I finish up the paperwork. In a couple minutes, he's standing in front of me again and I still see no cats. No cats, but this box in the lobby, by the door, like someone decided to donate a bin full of blankets or dog food or something. Upon further inspection, it turns out to be a Rubbermaid Action Packer, which is touted to be weather-resistant and lightweight-yet-durable.
I immediately start to panic and ask if there are any air holes. He looks at me like I'm an alien and says, no. I tell him we need to hurry this up so I can get the cats out of there, and he says, with the most condescending, oh-you-poor-simple-idiot tone that, again, only white men can manage, "There's plenty of air in there." I look at him in disbelief and he continues, "Cats don't need a lot of air. They have very small lungs."
Y'all, I almost died. I went into crisis mode because I could not just slap him in the face and tell him what a horrible monster he was, so I just worked as quickly as possible to get those poor girls out of there. Of course, I asked if he needed the container back, and he said, "Oh, can you guys use it?" And I said, "Oh, yes, that would be great!" And he very graciously agreed to let me keep the container, which meant that I could take these quick pictures.
One cat was adopted almost immediately, and the other was not so thrilled but was reclaimed by the rescue soon after. The rescue was livid, as I was, and knew that he didn't contact them because they had the freedom to tell him how stupid he was. Being a government worker, I couldn't tell him that he was stupid and frivolous, and that the reason for surrender, that his children had tired of the cats, was one of the dumbest excuses he could have given me. He signed the life-long adoption contract, not the children. And he is the one teaching his children that living things and commitment have no value, which I can only hope will come back to haunt him in his old age. Actually, I hope that his children grow up to be better people than he is, despite him.
---
And that brings me to the backlog. Some of them are just too good to pass up:
Guy comes in and surrenders the cat that he found as a stray and then adopted. Why? Her standards were too high. Not kidding. He and his cat bro had lived as bachelors for years; the litterbox was dumped once a week. "I don't scoop litterboxes." It was like a source of pride for him, and his cat was fine with it.
This bitch, though. She comes in and is all like, "You not gonna clean the litterbox? Fine. Don't. I'll take my lady mess elsewhere."
He didn't blame her, though. He just realized that their lives were incompatible and returned her to the adoption center to find a better home. I really don't blame the guy. The cat won.
---
Lady comes in with a cat in a carrier and is just fed up. "He won't leave," she says. "I have company coming over next week and my son is deathly allergic to cats and he won't get off the porch!" ... Ma'am, are you feeding the cat? "Well, yes, but..." But nothing. This is your fault. You feed the cat, the cat will continue to come back. You did this, dummy. You told this poor animal that you would take care of him, you lying bitch. Fail.
---
Lady brings in a cat dying of a UTI. For those who may not know, UTIs are very treatable and very painful, speaking from experience. This cat had been peeing blood for 6 months. 6 months! I had one for 24 hours and wanted to kill someone. I honestly don't remember what happened to the cat; I was just so enraged that she knew because he'd had issues in the past and chose not to treat him. And we see it all the time, where people just let the pet's illness go until it cannot be fixed and we have no choice but to humanely euthanize. There is no reason to allow an animal to suffer. If you cannot treat the animal, give it to someone who can or have it put down. There is no excuse.
---
Guy walks in with newborn kittens. Guy looks a bit confused and frazzled. "He says, these belong to the stray cat I brought in a couple days ago, during the storm. I didn't realize that they were in my closet until I heard them crying this morning." ... It was a dark and stormy night, and a stray cat ran into his house when he opened the door. In the morning, he took her to the shelter. A couple days later, he's getting ready for work, and finds hungry newborns in his closet.
They were reunited and mama cat was thrilled.
---
Fat white guy in a stupid suit walks in with a little black dachshund. He claims to have found the little guy running in the road and was the only one who would stop and save him. He was on his way to work, and just wanted to bring in this stray dog. I said, "Great! I just need your ID to intake the dog as a stray." He immediately loses his shit and starts yelling at me, saying that he's just trying to do a good thing and he's not giving his ID and he should have just let the dog get hit by a car and on and on and on. I tell him that I cannot take the dog from him without getting his ID, and he says he'll just dump the dog. I said, well, I'll have to call the police for abandonment. He smirks at me and walks out with the dog, and I follow him. I watch him get into his car and drop the dog out the door before closing it.
As he's turning on his car and putting it into reverse, I get a photo of his license plate and let him know that I will call the police. Meanwhile, the little dog is running around the parking lot, and the only people around are me, asshole, and two or three dog walkers, all with dogs. I had a slip-lead with me because I knew what was going to happen, but the dog is not friendly, which reinforces the idea that this is definitely not a stray, but is his dog. No one can get near it but him. He does get out and get the dog, and pulls away with the dog in his lap, yelling, "Whatever happens to this dog is your fault!" Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night, Asshole.
---
Heavily tattooed guy walks in with a box of kittens. He said he saw a guy on the side of the road on his way to work, and noticed that the guy was putting kittens in a box on the side of the road. He stopped, confronted the guy, and took the kittens. He was actually really pissed, and had hit the guy a few times, and was still visibly shaken up by the encounter. His knuckles were skinned. He said, "That's just not okay. You don't do things like that."
I really wish he'd been there when Asshole had come in. Sometimes I need back-up. Oh, and the kittens were horribly skinny, flea-infested and had terrible URIs. They made it, though, and should be adoptable any day now.
---
I guess the first one actually started yesterday. A Korean lady who looked very familiar came in. She was dressed very boldly and her English wasn't stellar, but it was definitely adequate. She placed a deposit on a chihuahua, and kept asking about his neuter, and how she didn't want him neutered and she wanted to take him to her vet, but she kept saying "noodled," and it was really throwing me off. She also kept asking about his teeth ("tea") and looking at us suspiciously.
Today, the dog she placed a deposit on was reclaimed. The owner showed a photo as proof, and happily paid the reclaim and the citation, totaling over $200. He was just glad his dog was okay and his kids could stop crying.
New guy, who had processed the deposit and the reclaim, had to call noodle lady to tell her the dog had been reclaimed. After a few minutes of him getting yelled at, I took over the phone conversation. She demanded to know what proof he showed, then demanded that we show her the proof, then accused us of just giving the dog to someone we liked better when I told her we would do neither of those things for her. All I needed to know was if she wanted a refund or wanted it kept on file for another adoption. She refused to answer the question, and kept making her demands that I had already refused. Rather than go through the whole ordeal again, I said, Okay, ma'am, I'll get started on your refund. It should arrive in a few weeks. Well, she didn't like that answer, and said that she would have her great nephew review the contract and then come in with him to see if we had any other small dogs.
Awesome.
---
Well. This one also started yesterday. Around 5:50 PM, ten minutes before closing, two dogs were still in surgery. I called the first adopter: no answer. I called the second adopter: I just pulled in! Traffic was hell!
After close, the deposit tag on the first dog was pulled and the deposit was canceled as a no call/no show, which means no refund.
Today, the adopter showed up and wanted to put the deposit back on. After yelling at the new guy for a few minutes, I explained to her that the deposit could not be put back on. Per the deposit agreement, the deposit was canceled at close of business because the dog was not picked up. As of right now, the dog was on the adoption floor and not eligible for a deposit because she was altered and not on stray hold, ready to go now. She then asked if she could just pay the remainder and come get the dog later; I said, no, that's the same as a deposit. She is not eligible for a deposit. Please refer back to section one of our discussion.
After yelling a little bit more and realizing that she wasn't going to get anywhere (God, I'm so good at dealing with difficult people), she left in a huff. She came back later and luckily the dog was still there, so she finalized the adoption. I found out that she was so upset because it was actually her dog, and she was gaming the system, which looked like it was going to bite her in the ass. (Owners are not generally allowed to adopt their own dog. They must reclaim, which incurs higher fees and possible citation from Animal Control). She almost lost her dog because, instead of notifying us and telling us she couldn't make it, she just didn't show up. Then, she did come in but couldn't take the dog, which makes no sense... Anyway, dog's back home, hopefully she stays there.
--
That story actually reminds me of another one from today. Guy comes in to reclaim his dog. I talked to his sister (this is a grown man) yesterday, and she said that she was paying for the reclaim only because she made him promise to have the dog spayed (this was her second time in in less than two weeks; she's in heat). He told me that she's pretty strict and won't just give him money; she'll pay for things, but there's always a catch. She's kind of awesome; you don't get to choose your family.
Anyway, he comes in today and he is thrilled because he's getting his baby girl back. I pull up the dog and realize it's a second reclaim ($150) and a second Running at Large citation ($150), which sets sister up to pay $300 right out the gate. It makes me sick to my stomach, and my face squinches up while I try to think of a way to help these folks...
Baby girl has a deposit and will go home on Monday. She will be spayed and microchipped, and hopefully never end up at the shelter again.
---
And the one you've been waiting for. It's so overdue.
Guy comes in, says he needs to surrender two cats. He filled out the surrender forms online (or maybe his wife did), so he waits while I review them. I see pretty much immediately that he lists a local rescue as the place where he got the cats. I told him that I'm sure it's part of the adoption contract that the cats return to the rescue. I ask if he's contacted the rescue. He says no. I say, again, trying to rephrase, that I'm sure that the rescue would prefer to get their cats back rather than have them surrendered to a kill shelter and be in danger (yes, I will say Kill Shelter if it suits me). For most humans, that argument works. Most humans, you know, with souls, would be willing to make one phone call to save their pets' lives.
Not this guy. In fact, he gets... snarky? I can't think of the word right now, but it's defiant in a way that only entitled white men can be. He says that he will not contact the rescue and that he is leaving the cats there.
I finally realize that I have not seen any cats, and ask where the cats are. He says they are in the car, and I ask him to go ahead and get the cats while I finish up the paperwork. In a couple minutes, he's standing in front of me again and I still see no cats. No cats, but this box in the lobby, by the door, like someone decided to donate a bin full of blankets or dog food or something. Upon further inspection, it turns out to be a Rubbermaid Action Packer, which is touted to be weather-resistant and lightweight-yet-durable.
I immediately start to panic and ask if there are any air holes. He looks at me like I'm an alien and says, no. I tell him we need to hurry this up so I can get the cats out of there, and he says, with the most condescending, oh-you-poor-simple-idiot tone that, again, only white men can manage, "There's plenty of air in there." I look at him in disbelief and he continues, "Cats don't need a lot of air. They have very small lungs."
Y'all, I almost died. I went into crisis mode because I could not just slap him in the face and tell him what a horrible monster he was, so I just worked as quickly as possible to get those poor girls out of there. Of course, I asked if he needed the container back, and he said, "Oh, can you guys use it?" And I said, "Oh, yes, that would be great!" And he very graciously agreed to let me keep the container, which meant that I could take these quick pictures.
One cat was adopted almost immediately, and the other was not so thrilled but was reclaimed by the rescue soon after. The rescue was livid, as I was, and knew that he didn't contact them because they had the freedom to tell him how stupid he was. Being a government worker, I couldn't tell him that he was stupid and frivolous, and that the reason for surrender, that his children had tired of the cats, was one of the dumbest excuses he could have given me. He signed the life-long adoption contract, not the children. And he is the one teaching his children that living things and commitment have no value, which I can only hope will come back to haunt him in his old age. Actually, I hope that his children grow up to be better people than he is, despite him.
---
And that brings me to the backlog. Some of them are just too good to pass up:
Guy comes in and surrenders the cat that he found as a stray and then adopted. Why? Her standards were too high. Not kidding. He and his cat bro had lived as bachelors for years; the litterbox was dumped once a week. "I don't scoop litterboxes." It was like a source of pride for him, and his cat was fine with it.
This bitch, though. She comes in and is all like, "You not gonna clean the litterbox? Fine. Don't. I'll take my lady mess elsewhere."
He didn't blame her, though. He just realized that their lives were incompatible and returned her to the adoption center to find a better home. I really don't blame the guy. The cat won.
---
Lady comes in with a cat in a carrier and is just fed up. "He won't leave," she says. "I have company coming over next week and my son is deathly allergic to cats and he won't get off the porch!" ... Ma'am, are you feeding the cat? "Well, yes, but..." But nothing. This is your fault. You feed the cat, the cat will continue to come back. You did this, dummy. You told this poor animal that you would take care of him, you lying bitch. Fail.
---
Lady brings in a cat dying of a UTI. For those who may not know, UTIs are very treatable and very painful, speaking from experience. This cat had been peeing blood for 6 months. 6 months! I had one for 24 hours and wanted to kill someone. I honestly don't remember what happened to the cat; I was just so enraged that she knew because he'd had issues in the past and chose not to treat him. And we see it all the time, where people just let the pet's illness go until it cannot be fixed and we have no choice but to humanely euthanize. There is no reason to allow an animal to suffer. If you cannot treat the animal, give it to someone who can or have it put down. There is no excuse.
---
Guy walks in with newborn kittens. Guy looks a bit confused and frazzled. "He says, these belong to the stray cat I brought in a couple days ago, during the storm. I didn't realize that they were in my closet until I heard them crying this morning." ... It was a dark and stormy night, and a stray cat ran into his house when he opened the door. In the morning, he took her to the shelter. A couple days later, he's getting ready for work, and finds hungry newborns in his closet.
They were reunited and mama cat was thrilled.
---
Fat white guy in a stupid suit walks in with a little black dachshund. He claims to have found the little guy running in the road and was the only one who would stop and save him. He was on his way to work, and just wanted to bring in this stray dog. I said, "Great! I just need your ID to intake the dog as a stray." He immediately loses his shit and starts yelling at me, saying that he's just trying to do a good thing and he's not giving his ID and he should have just let the dog get hit by a car and on and on and on. I tell him that I cannot take the dog from him without getting his ID, and he says he'll just dump the dog. I said, well, I'll have to call the police for abandonment. He smirks at me and walks out with the dog, and I follow him. I watch him get into his car and drop the dog out the door before closing it.
As he's turning on his car and putting it into reverse, I get a photo of his license plate and let him know that I will call the police. Meanwhile, the little dog is running around the parking lot, and the only people around are me, asshole, and two or three dog walkers, all with dogs. I had a slip-lead with me because I knew what was going to happen, but the dog is not friendly, which reinforces the idea that this is definitely not a stray, but is his dog. No one can get near it but him. He does get out and get the dog, and pulls away with the dog in his lap, yelling, "Whatever happens to this dog is your fault!" Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night, Asshole.
---
Heavily tattooed guy walks in with a box of kittens. He said he saw a guy on the side of the road on his way to work, and noticed that the guy was putting kittens in a box on the side of the road. He stopped, confronted the guy, and took the kittens. He was actually really pissed, and had hit the guy a few times, and was still visibly shaken up by the encounter. His knuckles were skinned. He said, "That's just not okay. You don't do things like that."
I really wish he'd been there when Asshole had come in. Sometimes I need back-up. Oh, and the kittens were horribly skinny, flea-infested and had terrible URIs. They made it, though, and should be adoptable any day now.
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