Letters to the Editor
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tiny tyrants
(two separate letters, because they're two separate issues)
Over the years, I've observed that volunteers of any kind tend to become tiny tyrants. And not just volunteers; people who do any kind of unpaid work. The lack of public recognition through monetary reimbursement seems to lead to a desperate need for self-esteem and status.
It's unfortunate, but what this means is that the very people who should be selfless - those working gratis for the betterment of others - are some of the most self centered. The stereotypes about this sort of situation usually involve women, because women are presently more likely to do unpaid work in our society, but when men do unpaid work, men behave just as badly. Everyone's heard of the mother who becomes the tyrant of the PTA, or the church bake sale lady who reserves the right to pass judgment on everyone's cookies, but there's also the middle-aged graphics hobbyist who runs a free graphics site with bizarrely rigid requirements for the circumstances under which his pictures can be used and prominently posted threats about legal enforcement. And then there are charitable organizations which require volunteers to jump through all kinds of hoops before allowing them to do any work. I don't want to disparage any of the organizations I've worked for, but they include animal shelters, animal rehab centers, the zoo, museums, a food bank, and several groups working with children. All had their very own tiny tyrant in charge, a person who had lost sight of the goals of the organization in a sea of irrational demands for status.
The only cure for tiny tyranthood is a source of self-esteem unconnected to the paid work. I've known tiny tyrants who became much more relaxed after ditching their husbands who were cheating on them or losing forty pounds. I know a male tiny tyrant who became quite reasonable after getting a promotion in his paying job. And many tiny tyrants in the field of graphics and game design turn into lovely, helpful people after a company decides to pay them for what they do.
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correction
Last paragraph should have been "unconnected to the unpaid work."
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It happens.
I have dealt with these holier than thou pet dealers. When I decided that I wanted a cat to come live with me, I went on the Internet looking for local pet shelters, specifically those handling cats. I found the same judgmental and arrogant kinds of individuals that Ellen and Heather encountered. Would the cat be an indoor cat? Yes, exclusively. Do you have references, including one with a vet? Yes. Do you have small children in the house? Nope. Do you intend to declaw? Yes. Forget it. It turns out that I am up there with Nazi doctors at death camps because I intended to adopt a declawed cat, or a kitten to be declawed. That made me an unfit person to adopt a cat. Interestingly enough the fact that I was a single man also seemed to be an item of concern.
I did find a wonderful cat who was about one day away from being sent to the animal shelter. I took her from a college aged woman who had been caring for the animal after the cat was dropped off by a woman down the hall from her who never came back. My new cat was already declawed. After a short while I decided that my cat needed a companion to keep her company while I was at work. I adopted a kitten from a litter had by a barn cat in a farmers barn about two hours out in the country. When the kitten was of the appropriate age, I had her spayed and front declaw (same as the other). We have been very happy together. I admit that I probably am just as crazy over my pets as any other pet owner.
Here's the thing... I didn't pay a dime for either cat. One of the cats would have ended up at the shelter, and the other in the wild, if they hadn't come to live with me. I believe in declawing (front) because I had a cat previously that no matter what we tried would not stop scratching until he'd shredded my couch. We need to be able to live together. The harm is nominal, and made it possible for everyone to live in peace. I take my animals to the vet religiously, and have had both of them microchipped in case anything should ever happen to them. My vet has indicated to me that my animals are obviously excellently cared for, and well socialized given their backgrounds (one abandoned, and the other almost feral).
I have no idea where my cats would have ended up if not with me, nor could I have been made any happier by having them come to my home.
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They're DOGS people
The whole issue is completely pathetic to me. Who in a free country would sign an agreement letting some bonehead sentimentalist have the right to come into your home and tell you how you can treat your pet? Help me if I'm missing something, what gives the "adoptive agency" the right? I'm sorry Degereess was foolish enough to sign such an intrusive contract, but if the "resucue agancy" had come to my house to take the dog away from my kid, I'd be in jail for euthanizing the "rescuer."
There is a reason dogs and cats are being euthanized in such huge numbers - there are simply too many cats and dogs living around around human population centers. Between the pet stores, the breeders (ethical and unethical) and animal rights nutcases who ascribe anthropomorphic attributes that have NOTHING to do with reality, dogs and cats have a relatively easy time living off the scraps humans leave behind, inside the house or outside.
Humans have had a near symbiotic relationship with dogs for at least 40,000 years, but it's gotten RIDICULOUS. The fact that some group of self righteous prigs manage to make a living deciding who is "worthy" to have a dog is makes me think we've built a culture that has too much free time. (On the other hand PLEASE don't let these assholes be in another position where they have some power over people...) People are homeless, starving, abused, there is potentially WWIII going on out there, and these dipshits are messing with people's dogs?
They're DOGS people. They eat us when we let them loose and hang out in packs. We don't eat them mostly cause they taste bad to most humans and they're more useful for herding if you train them right and breed them. They can be your friends, but they are not your children. Somebody sell these idiots a life!