When Someone You Know and Love Buys from a Breeder

If you're not involved in pet rescue you may not understand the title of this blog.
So read it, so you can understand.
Over the years I've heard about friends of rescue friends buying a dog from a breeder oppose to adopting. Over the years I've heard about this action breaking up friendships or driving a wedge between people.
I've also experienced this on a personal level and it has converted once-lovely-friendships into an abyss of separation a time or two.
A few years ago while working at Animal Services I had a girlfriend that wanted a dog, a puppy.
On various occasions I showed her pictures of adoptable pets, I spoke to her about how rewarding adoption was, how she had the power to save a life and asked her regularly, "When are you going to adopt?!"
The next thing I know she's posting pictures on facebook of a french bulldog puppy.
I was horrified.
We discussed her purchase briefly and she said the typical things breeder-buyers say: we wanted this certain breed, we wanted it to be a puppy, it was a sporadic decision, etc.
To make matters worse this 'friend' opted not to neuter her new frenchie (doesn't every other person on the block have one of these breeds now?).
Immediately our friendship changed. We lost touch.
I felt angry and disappointed on behalf of all the dogs that had missed out on a loving home due to my friend's decision.
And that's the issue- when an animal-loving-pet-owner to-be chooses to buy oppose to adoptthis person is inevitably choosing not to save a shelter pet's life. This person is choosing to be an onlooker, a bystander, a spectator- seeing, hearing of the shelter pets waiting for loving homes, knowing the shelter pets are being put to sleep daily, but choosing to do nothing about it. These bystanders are choosing not to be part of the solution, choosing not to help end euthanasia by their decision to buy rather than adopt. It's just that simple.
And something so strange to me is, the grand majority of people that buy from breeders are big-time animal lovers and are generally great pet owners. You'd think they'd make the connection on their own-
adoption = saving a pet's life, I want to save a pet's life because I love pets!
Now 15-20 years ago it was a different story. Some of you, my animal-rescue-friends, bought a pet from a breeder yourselves, some of you were even involved in breeding, but you didn't know about the plight of our shelter pets then. "You don't know what you don't know," as the saying goes.
We cannot really blame people for not knowing something, but nowadays, let's be honest- how many people are truly unaware of their local animal shelters? Hasn't just about everyone seen the ASPCA commercials featuring sorry-looking abandoned animals? Isn't the 'Humane Society' an organization that pretty much everyone has at least heard of? There are huge billboards up about pet rescue for God's sake.
And getting back to the title of this blog, "When someone you know and love buys from a breeder," we're talking specifically about people that are aware of shelter pets' plight... through me, through you, the animal activist people!
They know all too well about shelter pets, they see their pictures that you send out and everything, then they choose to buy from a breeder... ouch. That hurts. Really bad.
This is a wound that has recently been ripped open, by someone in my family.
Friends you can disassociate with if need be, if their breeder-buying-behavior perturbs you so, but when it's someone in your own family, it becomes stickier.
My aunt is a big-time dog lover. She loves all animals and is one of the sweetest people I know. She's gentle, kind, always eager to help anyone in need, a hard worker and active in her church.
She visited me years ago at Animal Services in Louisville when I worked there in the kennels. We took out dogs to play. She loved all of them so much. I made her promise me that, 'next time she would adopt.'
At the time she had a wonderful Golden Retriever named Duke that her and her husband had bought from a breeder. She said, "next time we will probably adopt, I know there are so many," or something along those lines.
Over the past couple of years as I worked as Adoption Counselor/Foster Care Coordinator for MDAS I would include her on email blasts about dogs in desperate need of rescue. She received emails about puppies, nursing litters, adults... you name it. I included her to keep rescue top of mind, even though she was in Kentucky and I was in Florida. She would even forward my emails to friends she has in the Fl area!
Some months ago her beloved Duke passed away after a long, good fight against cancer. My aunt arranged for weekly acupuncture treatments for Duke while he was alive, this helped prolong his life and the quality of it for a very long time; my aunt was and is a superb pet owner.
Some time passed and I began nudging her to consider adopting another dog; I knew they were going to get another dog.
When I was home during the summer I told my aunt's husband in a low tone, just between the two of us, "Don't you dare buy from a breeder. I mean it. There are too many at the shelter. It would tear me up if you all did that."
He seemed to feel a bit uneasy and moved off. For the record, my aunt's husband is a great guy and a huge dog lover too. But he had always bought his dogs from breeders.
And that's the thing here, old habits die hard.
About a week ago my dad asked me, over the phone, "Did you hear your aunt and _________ bought a new Golden puppy?"
My heart sunk. I quickly retorted, "I don't want to hear about it."
He said, "Oh that puppy needed a home too now," so, wow, even my own father doesn't 'get it.' -Scary and sad.
Analogy intermission: if your last 5 cars have been Hondas and you've had great luck with all of them... you love the way they drive, the way they handle, the way the engine sounds when you start it up (very 'honda'), the reliability of the car... and someone tries to convince you to get a Toyota, you're not going be very likely to go, "Oh OK, why not give Toyota a try sinceyou think they're just as good."
In essence me insisting on my aunt adopting a dog, likely a mixed breed, rather than her buying a Golden Retriever, a breed she had grown to trust and love dearly through her own life's experience, was a threat.
It does feel threatening and uneasy to go outside of one's comfort one. -You know what you love and are comfortable with by God.
My aunt knew what a great experience she had with Duke for all of those years. She wanted to have an equally gratifying experience with her new dog and apparently just didn't have faith enough to go out of her comfort one and adopt (perhaps a different breed or rescue an older Golden) rather than buy.
That's extremely sad to me. I know so many excellent shelter dogs waiting for loving homes.
There are great ones on any given day being put to sleep because of wonderful pet-owners like my aunt and her husband that can't make that jump from buying to adopting (I know this is only one aspect of why pets are put down), they must not have enough faith in the dog, the shelter dog, that it will be as faithful, well-mannered, good-tempered and as overall wonderful as their pure bred Golden or whatever the breed may be. If that sounds extreme, I'm sorry, but it's true. Remember, if one chooses to buy, one chooses not to save the life of a pet in desperate need. Period.
These spectators must feel there's something 'special about the breed,' they like and they're right, there's something special about every breed, about every pet, about every living being for that matter.
As a shepherd mix owner/lover I have a soft spot for any brown dog with some black on its face that I see.
It is just as easy to form a beautiful bond with a mixed breed as with a pure breed.
Our spectators need to choose to take that leap of faith and find this out for themselves. One day I hope they will.
Who knows, maybe my aunt will adopt a 2nd dog just for the heck of it... just to save a life. Would that be such an outrageous thing to do? -I don't think so.
I do know she'll neuter her new Golden puppy so that's one positive aspect of the entire situation.
-All the best.

If you buy from a breeder you're choosing not to save my life!

you're ignoring that I'm here in danger of being put to sleep when you buy from a breeder!

You're telling yourself someone else will take me and my sister but they might not!

Buy from a breeder and I'm forgotten by one more person- you.

Get your dog from a breeder while I sit in a cage getting more depressed by the day.

Posted 21 hours ago by Jessica Pita

Letter to Lisa

Lisa,
So here it is 2 weeks later and I'm still thinking about you.
It all started in recovery, that's where we first met.
It was hectically busy for me that day, as always. I hustled into the recovery room to retrieve a recently sterilized dog for an adopter or a foster, the particular dog or person it was for I cannot recall, only that I was in recovery to get someone's dog.
Partially laying on your side, partially sitting upright, in a bottom corner cage with big doe eyes, and an even bigger belly, you caught my eye. Then I took a quick moment to consciously focus my attention on you.
You looked like a deer caught in the headlights, almost frozen, nearly expressionless. The fact that you looked and acted a lot like a dog I had fostered months ago and seeing your big, protruding belly brought on an instant surge of nearly-overwhelming empathy.
"I'll be back to see you. Tomorrow I'll get you out, I promise. Hang in there," I said to you, almost sternly. I needed you to be strong... for your own good.
At home that night you crossed my mind a couple of times. -Interacting with you as I had promised gave me something great to look forward to for the following day.
It's always that way for me; the animals make me want to, need to, get to work day after day.
The promise of the possibility to save a life, the sense of obligation I feel towards all of you pets is immensely powerful.
And committing to working on a particular dog is something I take very seriously... it's something I 'take on.'
There are interludes in which I try not to become personally involved with particular dogs in this manner. The deep level of involvement, the intensely emotional liability of it all can be nearly too much to handle. Knowing how devastating it is to lose one of you that I've been working with personally can make me shy away from this level of personal involvement but... it never lasts.
These anti-personal-involvement-interludes typically have a 3-5 day duration before I'm 'on to the the next one;' my love for you is simply so much greater than my fear of being burned by your loss.
With you Lisa, I had made a verbal commitment to get you out of your cage, but an even greater, unspoken commitment to get you out of the shelter.
"DOES NOT WALK ON LEASH" was written in red sharpie on your kennel card.
OK, I thought, let's see how well pregnant me can coerce pregnant you to walk- not very well.
But with some pulling, gentle insisting and positive vibration (forget your positive reinforcement with a dog that's this fearful) we did manage our way out of recover, down the short hallway and out the door to... freedom. -Sort of like freedom, the little fenced in play area, it was the most free you'd been since arriving at Animal Services anyhow.
For you Lis, the positive effect of being outside was immediate and tangible. You softened.
Your body relaxed a bit.Your mouth opened, as you breathed rapidly but easily. This is how you needed to be breathing, you would be birthing pups soon.
You took cover in a corner facing real freedom behind a plastic garbage can. You felt safe there and I let you be.
15 minutes or so passed. A lovely retired married couple of shelter volunteers were there with us in the yard, socializing other dogs. The other dogs' presence only put you more at ease. After all, you had been 'found' running free with a pack of feral dogs. You and those dogs were caught and brought to Animal Services.
You, Lisa, were a dogs' dog, oppose to a mans' dog. You preferred the company of your own kind and I can't say I blame you.
Not wanting to rush you but not wanting to neglect my other work duties, I asked the couple if you could stay out with them for a while. They kindly obliged and you were out 45 minutes or so before we had to put you up.
Another day, similar scenario. A different shelter volunteer (one that loves mommy dogs so much) and I took you out. You were once again content just to be outside. That day you even had a bath by two mommy-loving volunteers/fosters.
I had sent an email plea to shelter fosters on your behalf; you along with a couple of other nursing mommies were featured in the email. You were the only one still pregnant of the group. You seemed to be in the earliest stages of labor and just a day or so from birthing your puppies.
I felt hope for you Lisa. There was talk that you could go to one foster's home as soon as she could place her other foster.
Then, on Friday morning (my mom and grandma would be coming in town that Friday night) I received a text stating, "they killed the white, pregnant mommy."
The volunteer/foster that had met, loved and wanted to help you too sent me the text. She was at the shelter before me.
"No," I said aloud as my stomach sank, my shoulders following.
My boyfriend said, "What?"
I told him about you, while crying.
"That job is too much on you, you get so upset. it's not good for you," he said.
He didn't understand how I felt. How could he? How could I?
This all happened in the span of a week and I did not see it coming, at all.
My grandmother and mom were here for 3 days. I didn't mention you to them. What would I say? But I assure you Lis, you were on my mind that whole time.
It was strange. I felt like you weren't really gone, probably because I didn't take or have time to mourn you.
I looked up the person that put you to sleep. I looked at the dosage you were given.
I asked the clinic supervisor, "Shouldn't she have been given extra dosage since she was extremely pregnant and had fetuses inside of her?"
She said no, that your babies died quickly once you stopped breathing.
That's hard for me to comprehend.
 I imagined your babies inside of you, breathing amniotic fluid, alive and well, moving around.. .alive, only to suffocate inside of your deceased body.
 I couldn't help but seeing you in my mind's horrified eye, being eased into a bio-hazard garbage bag, tossed onto a truck with other bodies.
I'm sorry Lisa. It does you no justice to speak of such horror.
You were an inspiration to me.
You touched my heart.
Seeing how naturally and beautifully you breathed, labor-type of breathing, seeing how at ease you were in nature, how at ease you were with your big belly, how in tune you were with nature, how gentle you were, how much you wanted to trust, how you just needed time... you inspired me.
You are one of my pregnancy role models girl. I still think of you.
Though it may sound corny, though no one may believe me- I will think of you, and will do my best to birth my baby naturally and with dignity as you would have birthed yours. I'm sorry you didn't have the chance to birth yours Lis but I promise I will do my very best birthing mine in your honor and memory. -Promise.

Lisa, enjoying time outside.

Originally written a couple of weeks ago, on paper.

Posted 28th November by Jessica Pita

Labels: animal services animal welfare ASPCA feral dogs Humane Society of the USpregnancy pregnant dog sheltering spaying

Brownie, a pup

Brownie,
You were just a baby, not even 6 months old.
You had gorgeous hazel eyes with a great chocolate-colored coat and nice caramel-colored markings.
You never really barked much, even though you were in a teeny tiny, bottom cage, shadowed there, likely bored and stir crazy out of your little mind!
You were always just grateful for anyone that would pay attention to you; even better, get you out to play.
On Saturday it seemed your puppy dog prayers had been answered: a nice, vivacious man with 3 friendly kids chose you.
They got you out, played with you, loved you and placed an adoption hold.
You had surgery (neuter) and your new family was scheduled to pick you up the day after your nice meet and greet, Sunday.
2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m.... still no family... where were they?!

Then Monday rolled around.
That's when I saw you still at the shelter and I was perplexed; your family had seemed so nice, so sincere, surely they didn't bail on you... but they did.

Monday afternoon rolls around and a seemingly nice young lady inquired about you, wanting to adopt.
Unfortunately I had already seen a note on your file- a manager had 'extended your hold' one extra day to give your original adopter a chance to get you (bad move!!!!). This made it impossible for someone else to be able to adopt you that Monday, so the young lady chose a different pet.
Brownie, I called your original adopter/owner, leaving him a message saying, "You were there, freshly neutered, ready and waiting for him."

I even called from my personal cell to see if he'd answer, he didn't.
I couldn't help but wonder what lie he and his wife had told his kids to justify not getting you- they had all been so excited about bringing you home.

Tuesday I was off, you were adopted, 2 days after you should have been.

Wednesday I received the dreaded email from clinic staff-
you had been returned after only 24 hours and were among 5 puppies that had contracted parvo.
You were given until noon the following day to either leave or die.
The email said you were in good spirits for having parvo so your chances of survival would be good, for me honestly, that made the blow even harder. -I knew you likely would not make it out.
I couldn't go visit you, you were behind "A-ward" (euth room) and parvo is simply too contagious, I couldn't risk visiting with you only to potentially infect other shelter dogs. But I thought about you all day... promise. I felt very badly that you were alone, in a secluded area, witnessing the sad fate of many of your fellow canines first-hand while you waited.
Just shy of noon on Thursday you were put to sleep, 'humanely euthanized.'
Perhaps euthanasia was the only humane part of your sad story in a municipal shelter, your suffering was over. The rest of your shelter story and short life had been so heartbreaking, but unfortunately not uncommon.

Above all though, you should have lived... a long, happy, healthy life. You did not have to die like this.
Brownie, in your short little life, you were abandoned over and over again... once at the shelter by whomever dumped (I mean 'surrendered') you there, next by your 'perfect family' that didn't show up, and last but not least, by your owner that had taken you home only to bring you back in 24 hours.
It took everything within me to not call your original 'adopter,' telling him you had succumbed to parvo.
But I knew I couldn't.
I've seen this happen before, when puppies enter and then re-enter the shelter system they're often doomed to this sad fate.
All sickness is related to stress and the stress of being left, again and again, proves too much for many of our canine friends, especially the young ones.
-Jessica

This isn't Brownie but has the same coloring as Brownie, I'd have to search for his intake pic when at work

                                                     Posted 3rd October by Jessica Pita

Labels: animal shelters animal welfare dogs municipal shelters parvo pet adoption pet lovers puppies sheltering

Considering Fostering: What to Consider

    So you're an animal lover, and feel you could do more to help homeless pets, and want to do more. Then fostering pets could be for you but I must warn you my friend, the sense of pride you'll get in  knowing you're saving a life and fulfilling a deep-seated philanthropic calling, can become addictive!

    Before you know it you may eagerly be taking on a litter of puppies or kittens, or a hard-to-place pet, or once your 1st foster is gone you'll feel the nagging urge to 'do it again,' despite the promise you made to yourself to take a break in between foster pets. Reason being, simple: doing something good feels good and good feelings are ones we want to experience over and over. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with this, it's far better than say, wanting to having another 1 or 2 or 3 glasses of wine or wanting to fall in love over and over and over again since it feels good too. So, off the bat, let's get that straight- fostering pets is a good thing, a rewarding and positive life activity... even if you do become addicted to it! -And with shelters across the country bursting at the seams, over-crowded with unwanted pets and most still euthanizing for space, there's clearly far more demand than supply when it comes to qualified foster parents.

    There are, however, some critical considerations to keep in mind when considering fostering:

Do you have room for a foster pet? 

This question is relative since everyone has a different perception of how much space is enough. I have a foster parent now that shares her Miami Beach 1 bedroom with her own small-breed dog, along with a nursing litter of 4 pups, the mommy dog and another foster puppy- and she's comfortable and happy with that arrangement. Get this... she even manages to transport her fosters to and from the shelter on a scooter since she doesn't have a car! It may sound crazy but, for this fearless foster mom, it works. Another full time foster mom that has fostered well over 450 dogs over the years has 3 different rooms strategically set up in her home to have multiple litters in her care at any given time. She's willing and able to 'foster in volume' and has her game so organized it'd make the finest of assembly lines envious! Myself on the other, I prefer to foster one dog at a time and always have. On the rare occasion you could catch me with 2. Since we have 4 dogs of our own (before I was 'married' I just had my 2) and live in a 1 bdrm that's what's feasible for us. I also personally prefer fostering adult, medium-sized dogs. They're typically house-broken and far lower maintenance than puppies. They pull at my heartstrings more since I know they 'had a life' before being abandoned. That's just such a sad thought and I want to give them a chance to start a new life through fostering.

Do you have the time for a foster pet? 

Time is not as relative a concept as is space. Foster pets will require time invested. That being said, I work and have pretty much always worked full time (40 hrs./week) when fostering and have never felt my foster pets were neglected due to my work schedule. Many of our foster families work full time. You will need to get your foster pet on a schedule, your schedule, as soon as you bring it home. It's a good idea to bring a foster home when you're getting ready to have a day or two off (weekends) so you can get the pet adjusted to your home schedule before heading right back to work. When speaking of time for your foster you also must consider the time it will take you to get the pet adopted (unless you're fostering a pet slated for transport or an organized adoption). After-all the pet can't get online and post its own depiction or go out for a walk and find its own new owner... it needs your help! You must plan on being able to attend adoption events (most orgs have regular adoption events you'll be invited to attend with your foster), post a nice depiction with pictures on sites like petfinder.com, rescueme.org. etc. Worth mentioning too- if you're very busy or very cramped for space felines can be a great option to foster, we all know cats are less demanding than dogs!

Are you emotionally prepared to foster (and let the foster go)? 

This is a hard one. I never want to discourage people from fostering but sometimes I have to simply say, "No, you cannot foster this pet becasue I know you really want to adopt this pet." I can spot the foster failures a mile away now... of course sometimes I'm wrong but, typically, once I explain how I know prospective fosters are really prospective adopters they admit I'm right and go ahead and adopt the pet on the spot. Foster failures are not necessarily a bad thing. As an Adoption Counselor I'm never going to be mad or upset when a foster decides to adopt. But, it's not ideal for the following reasons: when a pet is being fostered it's basically in 'limbo,' not fully 'outcome' from the system, lingering somewhere in the middle of being homed and homeless, it's a nightmare for record-keeping and creating accurate shelter statistics when pets are in long-term foster care (more than 3 months), it's not fair to the foster coordinators since 'on the fence' fosters can lead to a large backlog of work, it's really not fair to the pet to go into a fostering scenario with the idea of  "I might keep you." Again, it happens, and I'd rather someone take a pet under these circumstances than not take one at all but- if you're considering adopting the pet before you even get it into your car... make it easier on all of us and go ahead and adopt! -Enough with the mind games, you're the only playing.

Do you have the money to foster?

Unless you're taking on a pet with serious medical issues or taking on many at once, fostering really doesn't require much money. I for one make $14.00/hr. and have never felt strapped to pay the rent due to a foster pet. Now if you're taking home an entire litter or something with a skin condition for example, you'll be spending some money. If you're not willing or able to invest much in a foster take only one at a time and choose a pet without (serious) medical issues. Some shelters or rescues can even lend you a crate, provide food, etc., however it's more common for foster parents to provide food and toys on their own. Regarding 'chip ins' for foster pets, I'm personally not a fan. I wouldn't feel right asking for donations for something that I willingly took on. If you want to raise money for rescued pets then do the grit work- start a 501-C3 to make it all legit. That being said, I do not judge anyone that feels comfortable requesting donations to cover the care of foster pets, every situation is unique and, 'to each his own'. 

Are you putting your own pet's health at risk by fostering? 

If a yes or no answer must be given here then I'd have to say yes, technically you are. However, over the 7 years I've been fostering I've cared for dozens of dogs with upper respiratory, a.k.a., kennel cough, and mine have never caught it (most dogs leaving traditional shelters do have kennel cough). I've also had a foster puppy break with parvo (heartbreaking) and my dogs never caught it, as was the case with a distemper puppy. I would never knowingly take home a dog with distemper or parvo, nor should any dog owner, unless you have a serious isolation area and extensive knowledge on these diseases. General rules on health risks: the younger the pet the more likely it could be incubating a serious illness, the longer it has spent in the shelter the more likely it's sickly, if it's a pet that has been in the shelter system before and was returned to shelter (for whatever reason) it should have better immunity to common shelter diseases (unless it's still very young), if your own pet is from a shelter or adoption center it should have better immunity to disease common in shelters, and regular, annual vaccinations increase your pet's odds of staying healthy though they don't offer a guarantee. You could compare the risks to that of babysitting a child that goes to daycare every day with your baby at home... sure there's a chance your child will catch that 'daycare icky cold,' but he or she will survive.  I am not a veterinarian and these opinions are based on my own extensive experience fostering, that of other fosters and years spent working and volunteering in high-volume shelters.

    In a country that still euthanizes an estimated 3.4 million shelter pets per year, an average of 1 every 11 seconds (humanesociety.org), much room for improvement remains. Pet overpopulation and unwanted pets are community problems that require community solutions. 

By fostering you can become an immediate and intricate part of the solution. 

    Hopefully this information has been helpful to those of you considering fostering, and prompted others that weren't considering it to do just that! 

One of Jeanne Dykstra's foster pups being bottle fed. Check out Jeanne's facebook page, fostering dogs in Miami

Posted 22nd August by Jessica Pita

Labels: animal welfare ASPCA Cesar Millan fostering humane society Humane Society of the US metro animal services miami dade animal services SHARE rescue shelter petsSOS 4 Paws rescue

JUL

30

Ode to Hilary 

Hilary,
   You were my 'happy ending story,' a superb example of the dog that beats the odds.
   There are unexpected, delightful twists of fate in the shelter world, these cherished times when pets you don't think will make it out alive do.
   You were one of those pets Hilary, one of those dogs I didn't want to interact with too much  for fear of getting too emotionally involved only to be heartbroken upon your demise.
   But all it took to turn that self preservation mechanism around was someone, anyone, to show a hint of interest in you.
   That's all it ever takes, that shimmer of hope to make the possibility of rescue come to life (naturally I fall in love with dogs every day that no one is considering as well but one mustkeep that in check).
   When I met your daddy strolling through the big dog runs and he stopped at you Hilary, my heart practically stopped too. It was one of those 'don't hold your breath too long' moments, I played it calm and cool with the interested adopter to avoid making him feel pressured or pushed into choosing you. After all no one likes to feel pressured, even when adopting a dog.
   Hilary, it made my entire week to see an adopter fall in love with a hard to place dog without much coaxing or convincing... he knew you were the one. Though I did everything in my power to see the adoption through, to see you walking out the front door with your new doting owner. And, you did.
   I saw you weeks later when you returned to the shelter for your spay appointment- you looked magnificent, your owner, not so much. His arm was in a cast and he seemed to be very down on his luck. I wished you both well and saw you out the door, once again... shaking off an uneasy feeling.
   Hilary, you can't know (or maybe you can) the dismay it delivered, the immediate shadow it cast over me, this past Friday when you came back to MDAS for what would be the last time.
   I was busy with a customer, naturally, when Judy interrupted me to report you were in the lobby with your daddy, Alejandro. You had been hit by a car, your hip was shattered. Surgery for the invasive injury would run in the thousands... which your owner couldn't afford.
   I couldn't go to you, not because I was too busy, but rather because I didn't trust my raw emotions. I told Judy to tell your owner where to take you, the dog receiving dept. He was there to surrender you.
   Minutes later, once I'd collected my thoughts a bit I walked briskly to receiving, requesting your whereabouts.
   You had already been taken to the euthanasia room, I rushed, needing to see you.
   As I knocked, the euthanasia tech came around the corner, he hadn't even been in the room yet. He unlocked and opened the door and there you were- laying on the floor, beautiful and completely hopeless. You didn't so much as wag your tail or perk up at all when I said your name and went to you... perhaps that was for the better, why bother feeling a false sense of hope at this point.
   I petted your head and cried. You had given up. You knew. I commented on how nice your coat looked, saying that Alejandro must have really been taking good care of you.
   You were then muzzled, which I found offensive and said so, but, was told that it's standard procedure in euth. Then, just like that, with the intravenous injection, you were gone.
   I had to leave the room and go on with my day. There was still plenty of work to be done, like always.
   You were my 'happy ending story' Hilary. Damn it.

-written a couple of weeks ago on paper, the post "So Then Why" portrayed Hilary's story of when she was adopted.

Hilary and Alejandro, the day Hilary was adopted. 

Posted 30th July by Jessica Pita
Labels: coping dogs hit by car pet adoption pet overpopulation sheltering work stress

Adoption Counseling 101

                Adoption Counseling 101 (for any shelter volunteers or staff) 

I wrote this for MDAS volunteers nearly one year ago. When I initially wrote and shared a couple of staffers from other shelters asked if they could share, or use portions of it, for their volunteers. I said, of course, and figured I should blog it in case helpful to anyone else:

Adoption Counseling 101:

Many people who come to Animal Services to adopt are coming here for the 1^st time.

They don’t know where to begin or how the process works. To make matters trickier Animal Services often has new volunteers who can’t remember how everything works or how to assist adopters (there’s a lot to remember!)

For these reasons I’ve created Adoption Counseling 101. Between now and the next time you come to MDAS to volunteer please read this document thoroughly (you can even bring it with you if you like).

Adopter Enters the Adoption/Kennel Area:

As soon as you see someone new walk through the double doors to adoptions or walking around looking lost or confused, greet them.

“Welcome! Is this your 1^st time here? What are you mainly interested in seeing today- cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, small, large?” (you can tweak this greeting to your liking but this covers all the beginning bases).

Based on the answer you get say, (small dog example here):

“OK great, we have plenty of smaller-breed dogs. You need to take this paper (adoption paper on the left wall in front of kennel computer) and this little pencil, go through and look at all dogs in the small dog area.(Gesture where the small dogs are as you speak, or personally show them!).

Emphasize at this point to LOOK at ALL DOGS, CATS, KITTENS or whatever they may be interested in.

Explain to guests that people often find 3 dogs they like in the 1^st run (for example) then just stop looking!  This means dogs at the end of the runs, or pets in the bottom cages or end cages are often not seen because no one makes it down that far. Guests commonly feel overwhelmed to see so many homeless pets and they stop before seeing and considering them all. So try to assure they’re viewing all of their adoption options here… the more pets they see/consider the more likely they are to fall in love with one!

It’s your job to also help guests to not feel overwhelmed. Coach them saying things like,

“You’re going to save a life today!”

“Will this be your 1^st time adopting? -How exciting!”

“Don’t feel bad you can’t take them all- you’re going to rescue one and that’s all that matters to that one!”

“Please do not feel overwhelmed. I know it’s hard but focus on narrowing it down to your top 3-5 choices and we’ll go from there.”

You also explain to adopters:

“Once you have your ‘potential adoptees’ list take it to the kennel computer to make sure those pets are available for adoption then we can get them out to interact and see which one(s) will be the best fit for your family!”

…And, that’s the 1^st step to Adoption Counseling

Meet and Greet:

This is typically a good time to have adopters grab a yellow ticket so they don’t have to wait too long when they’re ready to complete adoption process up front.

-To do a meet and greet for dogs always use the outside patio area or large yard unless it’s raining or it’s a puppy less than 4 months.

Reason being: the dogs show better outside; typically the 1^st thing they do is pee or poop outdoors and you can say,

“Wow! Looks like someone is already learning to potty outside- that’s a really good sign!”

And remember, our dogs are typically in cages 24 hrs. a day; if you’re getting them out for someone at least take them outside! That’s the least we can do for them.

(Try to spend no more than 10-20 minutes with a potential adopter per pet since there are always others waiting for your valuable time… on busy days J!)

-To do a meet and greet for a cat or kitten you can use the meet and greet room though often people are content simply holding or petting the cats in the cages.

Tricks of the Trade:

These are some little things I personally do or say that help:

-Explain to adopters when out with a dog that: nearly all dogs take the 1^st 5 minutes to a ½ hour to explore the outdoor environment. It’s completely normal for them to sniff everything and ‘ignore’ the humans for the first few minutes- tell them to not take it personal or think there’s no connection. Please do not judge the dog’s personality based on that very initial encounter. It may take minutes, days or even weeks for a dog to fully come out of its shell and feel comfortable with new people.

If someone is considering a shy dog tell them it makes the relationship even more special when it takes time for a bond to be formed. -For those of you who’ve loved and gained the trust of a shy or timid dog, you’ll know what I mean here.

-When someone wants to see an adult dog that’s in with another dog I ask, “Do you mind if I get both dogs out so the other can play too?”

I do this because I feel badly leaving one in the kennel L and because adopters may fall in love and find a better fit with the kennel mate instead of the one they’re interested in. This has happened to me a half a dozen times and it’s cool when it happens. And if you’re really lucky you may get someone who’s willing to take both dogs! You never know if you don’t try, but don’t be pushy or forceful, just nice, showing off our pets.

-Have a favorite cat or dog training book? Recommend it! I like to offer handouts we have here on crate training, cat introductions, sterilization, etc. and mention my favorite dog book and… adopters are typically very grateful.

-There are many other tips I could and will give as I work with you in person.

Thank you for reading this thoroughly before your next time volunteering! Feel free to share your own tips and tactics with other volunteers. JRemember… as an MDAS volunteer you are an adoption counselor, counseling people on responsible pet ownership.

an adoptable doggie :)

happy adopters!

Posted 21st July by Jessica Pita

Labels: animal services animal shelters animal welfare humane society pet adoption pet care petco petsmart volunteers

Copy of my letter to mayor on axing No Kill initiative

Honorable Mayor Gimenez:

It was awe-inspiring to see our city come together confident in consensus to save innocent lives.

Miami residents overwhelmingly were in favor of giving an average of $10 per every $100,000 in property tax value to end pet euthanasia in this city.

-A beautiful and necessary change for Miami pets was finally within reach.

We the citizens voted, volunteered, raised money and we stuck by the idea of a No Kill Miami for MONTH after MONTH.

 We didn't stop paying attention or stop caring... ever. We were steadfast in our commitment to see this through.

 We missed work to attend commissioner hearings, we shared on social media sites, we prayed, we did everything in our power to assure Miami would become No Kill.

The ASPCA, one of the largest nationwide-animal-welfare organizations, was equally supportive and eager to see Miami implement this change in law.

There was positive buzz about this becoming a 'model for the rest of the country.'

Wow. -We were so close to being able to end pet euthanasia, over time.

At MDAS we've received an average of 80 dogs per day over the past few days... gives a new, horrific meaning to the saying, 'the dog days of summer' right?

I challenge you Mayor to go to MDAS 5 days in a row, get out a half or dozen dogs or so just to play and interact with (we have an awesome, big field!) and stand by your position to ax the 'Pet Trust/No Kill' initiative.

And I don't mean go, as a politician and get your picture taken with a couple of dogs, I mean, take them out, watch them play, interact, hug them, look at them, get to know them, open your heart to them as a compassionate ser humano.

 Do this then say no to the No Kill measure. Isn't that fair?

Isn't it sensible to at least see and feel what you've thrown away?

Sincerely,

Jessica Pita

Posted 21st July by Jessica Pita

Labels: animal welfare ASPCA Humane Society of the US mayor Gimenez miami politicsno kill miami no kill nation pet trust