Letters to the Editor
-
I worked there
I worked for one of these organizations. I understand, having worked there, that advocacy on behalf of animals is serious and depressing work. It also can create some of the self righteous, narrow, near fanatical thinking Heather describes. To be fair there were also people who were great, amazingly dedicated and somehow normal despite it all.
At my organization several of my co-workers actually went to a long standing foster family to remove a cat. Went to their house, uninvited, unannounced, for reasons that no one beyond their, exclusive little clique would ever understand. Obviously the family, who had a long history of fostering animals- a family any shelter or organization would LOVE to have- was deeply offended and terminated their relationship with us.
Time and time again I saw the employees make very severe judgments on people. And yet they, usually a bunch of alcoholic twenty somethings, were the standard of measurement. Insane.
-
Pet Adoption Contracts
Most people here siding with the rescue groups keep talking about how Ellen DeGeneres broke her contract and so the rescue society was justified in grabbing the subject dog from the hairdresser's house. Just because you sign a contract does not mean that the contract is enforceable. If that was the case, breach of contract actions would be quite simple -- was there a signed contract? was there a breach? There are numerous defenses to a breach of contract claim that go beyond "i didn't sign it."
In fact, come to think of it, Mutts and Moms probably couldn't have sued the hairdresser for breach of contract because the was no contract between Mutts and Moms and the hairdresser. M&M would have to sue the hairdresser in a cause of action sounding in tort. Although they could sue Ellen for monetary damages, that would raise two problems: (1) how to prove they suffered monetary damages by the transfer and (2) if they tried to included the value of the dog as part of their damages, that would undermine the whole notion that the dog is unique (like a piece of land or an antique) which is the basis for requiring return of the dog in the first place.
Most likely, the reason that Mutts and Moms just grabbed the dog and ran, as well as the reason that the hairdresser has not filed suit, is that litigating an action for replevin of a dog is not worth the value of the dog. That is not the same, however, as saying that contract is "enforceable" and that the hairdresser has no reason to complain that Mutts and Moms apparently misrepresented their intentions in order to gain access into hairdresser's dwelling, snatched the dog and skedaddled.
-
It's a Fine Line
Another poster questioned the enforceability of clauses in adoption contracts that specify returning the dog to the group. That is something I've always wondered, and I sort of hope this gets litigated so we can find out how binding those things are.
Thirteen years ago, I wanted to adopt a mother cat and her kitten from a local rescue group, and was turned down because I said I would allow the cat to go outside. The fact that my previous cat had died at the ripe old age of 20 after a long, happy life of coming and going as she pleased meant nothing. I realized then that they must not have needed a home all that badly, after all. I went to the local county (kill) animal shelter and took home a sweet kitten that had cuddled up to my 3 year old son, practically no questions asked, and decided then and there I'd never adopt from a rescue group, where, of course, nothing bad is going to happen to the animals if they don't get adopted. I would only adopt from kill shelters.
Two and a half years ago, my life situation had finally stabilized to the point where I could get a dog. I browsed around some rescue groups because I really wanted a Lab, but again, found their whole process cumbersome, restrictive and expensive, and was reminded of my previous experience with the cat who obviously didn't need a home as badly as they said she did. I saw some likely candidates at the same shelter on Petfinder, fell madly in love with one of them the instant I met her, and took her home that very day, with very few questions asked and at a fraction of the cost.
This summer, we decided to foster a cat and her litter of kittens for a local rescue group who approved us as fosters after only a brief phone conversation, transfered the cat family to us and then completely forgot about us. We called when it came close to time for shots and spaying, and were never able to establish proper contact with them again.
Right around that time, a news story appeared that the president of this group had been arrested for animal cruelty-- she had moved out of her house and abandoned all the dozens of cats inside to the stench, disease and filth. We found homes for the mother and two kittens, but have ended up keeping the last four kittens and all the spay/neuter costs involved. We won't take them to the pound, have become attached to them, and have room in our house for all those cats anyhow.
I wouldn't work with a rescue group again, any more than I would adopt from one.
-
Marktgarten
Is it possible that the home owners have some sort of case against the dog rescue around the issue of the rescuers entering the home under false pretenses? Just curious.
-
Pets vs Children
No, America does not practice euthanasia on it's unwanted children. It ignores them, denies them medical care if they are poor which they usually are, then waits until they get old enough to start smoking crack or grass, and then when caught puts in prison.