Lo and behold, what should arrive in my mailbox today but a donation request from HSUS, urging me to renew the membership I never knew I was signing up for when I donated money to “shelter the Vick dogs”.

Besides the usual heartrending cover letter (highlights below), I have been provided with four “2009 Gift Coupons” as follows:

1. The HSUS Emergency Shelter Funding Reply Form-
“to help fund essential programs such as purchasing pet carriers, collars, leashes, food and water bowls, and to provide immediate shelter for animal displaced by floods, fires or other disasters, or wherever help is needed most”

2.The HSUS Disaster Rescue Relief Reply Form- “to help fund essential programs such as buying animal handling equipment, enabling HSUS Disaster Rescue Teams to safely and humanely rescue animals in danger as a result of floods and other disasters, or wherever help is most needed”.

3.The HSUS Emergency Medical Relief Reply Form-
“to help fund essential programs such as paying for medical attention for an abused animal confiscated in a cruelty case, or where help is needed most”.

4. The HSUS End Animal Suffering Reply Form-
“Please use my gift where it is most needed to help save the animals from senseless pain, cruelty and abuse.”

From the cover letter…

“It’s so hard to believe….
that over 4,000,000 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens die each year simply because no one loves them….”

“Whatever level you’re able to renew (plus an additional $1.00 to help us offset increased operating costs, such as fuel, shelter and medical expenses….”

“And please remember that we are doing all that we can to reach out to the public- especially children- to help them understand the need to protect all animals from suffering, abuse and exploitation.”

Sincerely, Wayne Pacelle

——
There’s that pesky word “shelter” again and I guess “protect all animals” doesn’t include pitbulls.

Not a dime from me until they clean up their act.

Bad spam filter, bad!

Most breed rescue volunteers are really all about the animals and need to remember that shelter workers sometimes see the absolute worst, in greater quantity and frequency than they do or will. Rescuers need to remember not to judge all shelters, or breeders, or owners based on the worst of them.

Breeders need to remember that the experiences of rescuers and shelter workers may not include meeting the cream of the crop. Patience is needed, yes, but don’t APOLOGIZE for being GOOD at raising well socialized, healthy companions and standing behind them for life!

And finally, please if you are a veterinarian, listen to the concerns and experiences of rescuers, shelters and breeders. It only takes a minute to separate the wheat from the chaff so to speak. Extremists and puppy millers deserve a deaf ear, the rest don’t. Nobody’s perfect!

i am trying really really hard to remember these things today. My new rescue was adopted out from a county shelter 5 months ago. He was never heartworm tested at the shelter and today we find him to be positive. Nor microchipped. Shelter fail.

pages of vet records show an ongoing obsession with possible allergies. Not one mention of his chronic, long term KCS or treatment for it. No mention of even a recommendation of a heartworm test. A brief mention that “rear soreness” was due to “podo-dermatitis”
His arthritic, stiff stifle and near total cruciate tear is not even suggested as a possible cause. His walking dandruff was almost certainly made worse by the months of steroids given to reduce presumed allergies. Yep, I called to confirm that there was not more done or discussed. Vet fail.

This dog, a bulldog/boxer or bulldog/american bulldog cross was bred on purpose. But there is to my knowledge no one rescuing these crosses reliably, nor have we found a responsible breeder to call on in these crosses. Breeder fail.

And it’s pretty clear that he was well loved and trained at some point, but then spent a long time of deep neglect. adoptive owner did try to pursue care, then was forced to give him away due to foreclosure. The next owner had him just three weeks before a domestic violence arrest brought me in on Wed. So some owner fail, some economic fail, and some failing at basic human decency in the case of the son who beat up his 65 year old mother and forced her to give up an itchy, gimpy dog she loved to bits.

And some personal fail as a rescue volunteer because, back in December the shelter called me on this dog but then told me he was not a bulldog and they would adopt him out. I should have insisted on a picture, I should have insisted my info be given to the adopter in case of problems. I will make a visit to the shelter sometime soon and once again give them info packets and all my contact info. I will inform them of his heartworm positive status and politely ask why no test? Why no chip?

I will send a mild, friendly note on his eyes, heartworm, skin and knee to the veterinary clinic, in the hopes that they may consider looking beyond allergies and Hills z/d next time around.

I will be positive, because I want to keep a dialog open. I will try to educate. I want to build bridges. I will NOT write the clinic and shelter with the thoughts I was thinking looking at x-rays and skin scrapes and tear test tape today. Nor when I got the results on his heartworm. It would make me feel better, briefly, but I’m just going to smile, thank heaven for all the great shelters, vets, owners, breeders and rescuers out there and maybe have a drink of something with some kick, after I feed my new project some chicken thighs to go with the new pharmacy I brought home today.

I’m sure we all do this every once in a while but you’ve used it against most of the people who disagree with your column. That’s sad and very unworthy of respect Gina. I’m sure you’ll be happy to know I will not be reading any of your columns in the future. While I share your belief the various individuals involved in the responsible ownership and breeding of animals need to find common ground (this does not include substandard breeders), that common ground cannot be found with HSUS whose past actions have shown they cannot be trusted. Yes, they are currently somewhat talking the talk. However, until they walk the walk there are many people, myself included, who will not trust them. Feel free to have the last word.

It was a rescue that specialized in herding breeds and the first listing on the adoptable page was a dog that was dead, supposedly (I say that because I know not to take stuff on the web at face value) because the breeder wouldn’t take it back. The rhetoric was pretty over the top.

That site was also the first time I encountered the idea that getting a dog from a breeder was BAD and from a shelter/rescue was GOOD. There was a whiff of almost frantic desperation. And I wasn’t sure what to think, being new to it all and never having had a dog.

I see now that that site (which I just visited and which has really toned down the anger) represented a beleaguered state of mind that can understandably lash out because of the pain and abuse they deal with.

Unfortunately, getting involved in blame stops any attempt to find common ground, which I believe is one of the drums that Gina keeps beating. No one is going to agree with everything another organization does and some are beyond the pale, but where people can work together for the animals, that’s a good thing.

One of the really valuable things for me about this blog is the on-going education that I’ve gotten from the regular gang and a lot of the visitors about the world of pets, and animal welfare/rescue. Anyone who comes here with an open mind and in a spirit of inquiry will find it very rewarding place to hang out.

Sorry, Susan - but no one is EVER gonna top the accusation levelled against me by a defensive poster that I must be a representative of a pet food company!<<

Try being someone who is both a long-time shelter worker, and has been involved in showing purebred dogs for more than 30 years. I’ve been accused of just about everything. (I’ve even been called “Satan Incarnate” for refusing to take an extreme position on these things. Seriously.)

I’ve also been refused membership to a multi-breed Yahoo rescue group specifically because I work in a shelter — even though I explained that I have worked with rescue groups ever since I got into dogs in the 70s, and I wanted to offer my help as a liaison between rescuers and other shelters.

The fun never stops.

Gina, thank you for clarifying your points of contention. However, these issues that you have a problem with weren’t a part of the broadcast that you objected to in the first place by writing a column with the word “lies” in the title. What exactly was the issue you had with the broadcast? If you’re attempting to say these issues that you mentioned should have been made a part of the broadcast I could see your point. However, if you’re attempting to say that some part of this broadcast was a lie then I’m sorry, but I still can’t see where you came up with that line of thought. And again….more of the ad hominems from you…..