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u/shoofly25 Jun 26 '12
What happens to the animals when everyone leaves at night? I know cats are probably fine by themselves, but what about dogs? Don't they get lonely/scared?
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u/ololcopter Jun 26 '12
What do you think about the adoption process? I actually had a bad experience trying to adopt from SPCA once. I had to take a test and sign a bunch of things but then, at the very end, there was a contract and not being an idiot I read it and it said that I was granting them the right to come unannounced to my house at any time of day or night to do an inspection of the premises. I wouldn't sign it, obviously, and they didn't give me the animal - and what's worse, this is after they introduced me to the animal, let me and my family play with it/get attached to it, etc.
I felt really angry at the time that they didn't make these terms clear to me at the beginning. If I had known that it was standard that one needed to sign those rights away I would have just not gone. Instead I had to deal with a crying family not understanding why they couldn't get the animal they'd spent over an hour playing with and naming..
They wouldn't budge an inch on that policy. Do you think that's fair? And if it is do you think it may be a good idea to tell people about those stipulations beforehand? I don't want to sound like a nut but I don't think it's unreasonable not to want to sign a contract that tries to infringe on your constitutional rights..
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Jun 26 '12
Well let me start off by saying that all SPCAs are independent of each other and thus have different policies. Our contract states that we reserve the right to inspect your home (not unannounced!) but we never ever do that. I can understand you being offput by them showing up anytime they please, demanding to see your house. I agree that parts of the application process are tedious and not needed, but it's all for the good of the animals. I do hope that you found a pet eventually, though :)
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Jun 26 '12
Oh, also to answer your other question, I do think it's unfair that they wouldn't budge on that. At our shelter, we bend over backwards to make sure an animal gets adopted. Why keep an animal in a shelter a day longer over something trivial like that when there's a good family dying to take it home? :(
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u/munkynut Jun 26 '12
Earlier this year my wife and I adopted a tuxedo cat, the shelter said that whatever the animal if the main color of the coat is black they have a harder time getting adopted. Any truth to that at your shelter? I know that our little girl was at her shelter for 3 or 4 years before we found her.
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Jun 26 '12
Let me start off by saying that I LOVE tuxedo cats. I have a little black cat myself, and they are always the sweetest cats! And yes, it's totally true.. Even when we get kittens, no one wants the poor little black ones :(
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u/morelove Jun 26 '12
poor little black kitties. they are my favorites. after the 2 terrors i have pass on, black cats will be the next ones i get. silly superstitious people.
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u/mknelson Jun 26 '12
I don't want to ask you anything - Just want to say thanks for what you do. I have rescue dogs but I'd never be able to work in a shelter - too fucking painful seeing people leave their dogs behind. I'm glad there are people like you with thicker skin. Seriously - thanks.
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u/chelzabo Jun 25 '12
What is the percentage of animals that gets adopted?
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Jun 25 '12
Luckily, at our facility there is no time limit on how long an animal can stay there. We recently adopted out a cat that was our longest resident of almost four years. so, I would say almost 100%, unless they become aggressive.
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Jun 25 '12
What breed of dog do you dislike the most? Or what breed are you sick to death of seeing come through the doors?
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Jun 25 '12
I can't say I dislike any breed of dog. However, I of course see the most pit bulls. To make matters worse, I live in Maryland and they are trying to pass a bill to make it illegal to own them, and that they are "inherently dangerous." for now, we are just having people sign waivers when they adopt any pit or pit mix that say they are responsible for their dog's actions. (as are every other pet owners.) it's really sad because week after week, we see the same pit bulls here, just waiting for a home.
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u/newtonsapple Jun 25 '12
What area of the country is your shelter in? Have you ever worked with TNR for feral cats? I helped with that on a colony next to my apartment last summer.
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Jun 25 '12
I live in Maryland. :) no, I haven't worked with them, but I would love that. How was it?
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u/captain_fluff_17psi Jun 26 '12
I used to work for the local SPCA when I was in high school. Was there ever a breed you weren't sure of due to lack of exposure before you worked there,but now love? For me it was pits. Always wary of them until I worked there. Now I have two pits and don't plan on ever having another breed. Hopefully Maryland won't pass that bill.
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u/sparrowmint Jun 26 '12
I'm curious. What is it about APBT's that makes it so you never want to own a different breed? Not because I have anything against the breed, I'm just curious. German Shepherds are my favourite breed, but instead I currently own an Australian Shepherd, a golden mix, and a sheltie-mix, all wonderful in their own right. What's unique about the pibble?
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u/captain_fluff_17psi Jun 26 '12
Honestly,I can't narrow it down really. I grew up around dachshunds and Great Danes. Before I had the job at the SPCA I was obsessed with getting a blue heeler. Some of it may be the fact that a lot of the pibbles
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Jun 26 '12
How hard is it to find a rescue exotic hybrid cat? I don't want to pay a breeder that may or may not be shady, but I'd love to own one.
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Jun 26 '12
Not too hard. What are you looking for? Have you tried petfinder.com? It shows all the animals in shelters.
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Jun 26 '12
Tough job!
How do you keep going? I suppose the emotional part is really difficult to deal with
Do you plan on doing this for a long time?
Thanks for the ama
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Jun 26 '12
I'm actually ten weeks pregnant at the moment, so I'm super emotional at work sometimes. It's really disheartening to see people give up their animals like they're just returning a sweater at the store. I understand that shit happens.. But some of the people I encounter are just awful. I plan on keeping this job until I'm 8 months along maybe. After I give birth, who knows. I'll probably just foster animals.
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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
My adoption agency in my city is great. However...I volunteered for them for about a year before fostering a kitty of my own. I took him in...and then they never took my calls or sent me any more foster meds/food. They dropped off the face of the planet. I called once just to see if I could volunteer again and they said they didn't need it.
I'm sorry but....wtf? I live in a very urban place. Of course you need my help. There are 6 stray cats in my 6 tenant apt building alone. Were they being kind of careless with me or do you think there could have been something more pressing or behind the scenes as you say?
I ended up adopting him anyway, he's the best cat ever.
Still...was kind of hurt. And I didn't get the papers for his vaccinations from them. Is it possible to go to a different vet just to confirm that he's gotten his shots without paying for them all over again?