Just about every pet I’ve ever had was a stray or came from a shelter. I love animals. When I was younger I was obsessed with helping animals. I volunteered at the humane society every single summer, and fostered a little of kittens annually. I’m familiar with the questions and forms and procedures of adopting an animal. Or at least I thought I was.
Then I adopted my most recent pet. The twenty-page questionnaire/contract stating that I would never ever give up my animal even if it bit my future unborn child (who at that point was years away from conception) was a bit over the top, but I understood the reasoning. The home visits seemed a little intrusive. The phone call to my boss to see if I was employed and making enough to cover veterinary emergencies.... that just seemed downright crazy. The process took six months! From the stories I’ve heard on truu recently, that animal shelter wasn’t even the craziest.
I understand the idea behind it. They don’t want to have to re-home the animals if something goes wrong. But to me it seems kind of like shelters have forgotten that the people adopting their animals are doing them a favor. It opens up room for another animal that could have just as easily ended up in a kill shelter. A dog that gets adopted and lives in a home for years until the couple has a baby and re-homes it is still alive. And if they don’t find a new home? It was alive a lot longer than it would of been, and bonus, it didn’t spend it’s entire life in a cage.
Of course I’m not for people surrendering their animals when it’s inconvenient. A pet is a commitment, but stuff happens. And a shelter can’t plan for every eventuality no matter how hard they try. In attempting to they come off as intrusive. What do you guys think? What’s the most crazy animal shelter requirement you’ve heard of?
share
