PAWS TO PONDER

by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc. 

Did you know I received a rather disgruntled email this week because the person did not  get the reception they anticipated when they surrendered their cat after adopting him 8  years ago as a kitten with a paralyzed tail? The staff was accused of having a cold  demeanor despite telling the family that “you did the best you could, and you were right to  bring him back to the shelter”. The family was heartbroken and guilt-ridden but felt they  had no choice with a child going off to college and the rest of the family moving to an  apartment. Shelter staff are not therapists. Why are they not expected to be sad to see a  pet become homeless once again? Referring to themselves as “the worst people” in our  eyes and calling themselves “a bunch of losers” bears witness to their guilt, not what we  are thinking or feeling. We are never happy to see a pet returned no matter the  circumstances, unless the pet was not being properly cared for. This was not the case.  This extra-large short-hair orange male cat was in a loving, devoted home until he couldn’t  be any longer.  

Having an appointment to intake a pet doesn’t mean that nothing else is happening at the  same time. Only moments before there could have been an emergency intake of an  injured animal, taking a temperature on a sick kitten, cleaning up vomit and feces or  finishing up an adoption. The shelter environment is an emotionally challenging place with  highs and lows throughout the day. Switching emotional gears is not always easy for  animal caregivers to do yet I can say we do try.  

The shelter was also accused of misinforming them at the time of adoption about his  medical issues. Why would we do that? Animals may sometimes have medical issue(s)  not evident while at the shelter. Their email told us that “so much was destroyed” while  having him. I am not sure what that means to us or why it’s our fault. Not telling all we  know about a pet when being adopted is a disservice to that pet as much as it is to the  adopters.  

The former family was upset that we didn’t respond to their prior emails quickly enough  about bringing their cat back, not understanding that we receive over 100 emails and  phone calls a day. They were on a time crunch which did not give us time to make room for his return. We assured them that we do take back pets that have been adopted from us  whenever the need arises no matter the reason. This is not always the case in other  organizations.  

Finally, they were displeased that we did not provide an update a few days after his return.  They could have called. The truth is he is depressed and not eating. It takes time for a returned pet to readjust to life in a cage with strangers caring for him. And his adoptability  is slim to none. Sad to say but sometimes the truth hurts. 

 Pet of the Week :